LITTLE MORE THAN A WEEK after being evicted, Sonia Sealy and her family will have a place to call home again.
Thanks to a generous public, spearheaded by CITA Radio 90.1 FM and the Girlfriend Get A Life! programme, the family will be moving into a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Briar Hall Gardens, Christ Church, on Friday.
The story unfolded last Thursday when Sealy, along with four others – including her elderly mother and two children – were evicted from their Lowlands Park, Christ Church home due to the non-payment of a mortgage.
Host of the Girlfriend Get A Life! programme, Carita Dee, quickly took up Sealy’s cause and appealed to the public for help via the show. The results, she said, were tremendous.
“We had more than 100 calls with people donating money, time, goods, food, equipment, you name it. The first call came from Everton Trotman, who offered a house, which he said Sonia could use for as long as she wants,” she said.
Dee was among a group of volunteers at the house yesterday. She said they were there to fix up the house before Sealy and her family moved in. This included hedge trimming, grass cutting, painting and general cleaning. Dee said she felt compelled to help.
“My heart was troubled to do the right thing. For too long people have been hearing about others in trouble [and] feel compassion but do nothing. These are hard economic times, so we must be more proactive in getting our brothers and sisters back on track,” she said.
Dee said that while they were doing everything to get Sealy “back in the groove of living”, the house was not for free and it would be up to her to make any necessary payments after moving in, such as utilities and rent.
Sealy herself stopped by to see how the work was going and take a look at her new home. She was thankful to CITA as well as everyone who donated, saying it was “awesome”.
“Our God is an awesome God,” she said. (CA)
