A Houston Family’s eviction, that was caught on tape, warmed the hearts of many after a GoFundMe was created and received thousands of donations.
What We Know:
- A young Houston father, Israel Rodriguez, 24, held back tears while explaining his gratitude for the donations he received to assist with supporting his wife and two children, ages four and 20 months, after law enforcement evicted them from their apartment. The best part of it all, the law enforcement who evicted the family started the GoFundMe.
- “It’s unbelievable how people got such a heart,” Rodriguez said. “People didn’t have to help me. But people did it because of their heart.” Rodriguez’s eviction was documented by CNN during a segment on evictions during the pandemic that ran on CNN Sept. 2nd. CNN reported Harris County ordered 200 evictions recently, which is more than double the evictions before the pandemic.
- There were about two GoFundMe accounts set up to support Rodriguez and his family. One of the accounts was organized by former Houston teacher Patrick Tarnowski, which raised $66,861. Another account was created by the Harris County Constable Precinct One Foundation to help families in the Houston area who’ve been evicted during the pandemic and raised a little over $226,000. According to Rodriguez, the funds will not only go towards putting a roof over their heads but he and his wife can buy clothes because they rarely change outfits.
- On the Harris County Constable Precinct One Foundation GoFundMe page, Harris County Constable Alan Rosen of Precinct One said that the department was touched by the “outpouring of support and donation”. “We care,” he said, according to the GoFundMe page. “We are compassionate. We are abiding by the guidelines. It breaks our hearts to evict people. We hope the generosity demonstrated following this single-story will begin a movement where we work together as a society that starts a discussion about poverty, prioritizes kindness, and encourages philanthropy.”
People can continue to donate to help these families facing the threat of eviction.
