When a nice 70-year-old woman was about to be kicked out of her home, her neighbors got together and raised $275,000 to help her buy it back.
Linda Taylor has lived in her Minneapolis home for almost twenty years. She has spent a lot of her time helping people and working for a local nonprofit, but when the pandemic hit, the nonprofit had to cut back, and she couldn’t keep working for them. Even though she wasn’t getting paid, she kept paying her $1,400-a-month rent by using her savings and a small local subsidy.
Linda used to own her home, but she fell behind on payments and lost it. She ended up giving away her home because she didn’t fully understand the terms of an agreement. She also agreed to rent it back from the people who took over the mortgage. During the pandemic, her rent went up twice, and as a senior who lives alone, it was getting harder and harder for her to pay each month.
She got a letter from her landlord saying that she had to buy her home or leave the property. This made her very worried. They set the price to buy at $299,000. Linda couldn’t pay that much.
Linda said, “I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t eat.” “I really felt like a loser. It felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under me. My home is the most important thing to me.”
Linda told her neighbor, Andrew Fahlstrom, about the notice she got because she didn’t know what to do. Andrew was also saddened by what was going on with his neighbor.
Andrew said, “She has always been the one in the neighborhood who says hello to everyone.”
Andrew started talking to his neighbors and asking them what they thought they could do together to help Miss Linda. His neighbors were happy to help. They talked to Linda, and she told them her story.
Andrew said, “People heard what Miss Linda had to say and wanted to do something.” “Her story was so clear and interesting that everyone came together to help her. This person has paid for a place to live for 18 years.”
Andrew and 400 of Linda’s neighbors signed a letter asking her landlord to stop evicting her and start talks so she could buy her house. They gave the letter to the owner in person, and he agreed to do what they asked. They agreed to let her rent for a few more months and lowered the price to $250,000.
This kept Linda from being kicked out for now, but she still couldn’t afford to buy the house, so her neighbors started a fundraiser.
“Then it turned into a fundraiser instead of a defense against eviction,” Andrew said.
Because she loved her neighbor Linda, neighbor Julia Eagles also helped set up the fundraiser.
Julia said, “I don’t want anyone to lose their home or be priced out of the neighborhood.” “We all thought, as a group, that we would do whatever it took to keep Miss Linda here. This woman is known and loved by so many people.”
They set up a block party, social media campaigns, and an art show. At the art show, Linda, who likes to paint, could show and sell some of her paintings to help raise money for her home.
Many kind people gave Linda anywhere from $5 to $15,000 to help her keep her home. When she saw that she still needed a lot more money to buy, a local church stepped in and gave her $200,000. This, along with the money she raised, gave her the exact amount she needed to buy her home.
Linda said, “When that happened, my faith grew bigger than a mountain.”
In four months, her neighbors raised a total of $275,000, which was enough to buy her home, fix it up, and have a little left over to pay her monthly utility bills.
Linda was surprised and moved by how kind and generous her neighbors were.
She said, “I knew my neighbors cared about me, but I didn’t know how much.”
Linda was finally able to buy her house after trying for nearly 20 years.
Linda said, “When it’s yours, it makes you feel a certain way.” “I’m safe and have a place to live.”
Linda is looking forward to having backyard barbecues and movie nights for her neighbors. Even though she has spent many years of her life helping others through a nonprofit, she also wants to do everything she can to pay this kindness forward.
She told them, “I’m here to help the next person, and the next person, and the next person.” “It’s been a great trip, and it’s not over yet.”