When stephen, Joi and her daughter had to leave their apartment due to it being sold, they didn't have much time. Stephen had lived in Milford before and was thrilled when they found a house to rent on Dilla St, right across from beautiful Louisa lake, and it was available immediately! After just one meeting, the deal was done and they had found their new home. The next day they arrived to clean their apartment and to start moving in. When they first walked in, the overwhelming odor of dog urine took them aback. The night before, while looking at the apartment, Stephen thought nothing of all the windows being open and made sure to shut and secure them all before leaving. Now, he knew why they had all been open at the time of the viewing. Joi called the landlord who denied there was an odor. Stephen and Joi offered to replace the rugs, thoroughly clean the apartment and asked if the landlord would take it off the rent, he said no. Determined to make it work and with no place else to go, they did the work themselves and paid for it all.
Months went by and everything seemed fine until one day the basement became filled with 14 inches of what they thought was water. So again, they called their landlord and again he said it was nothing. Eventually they sent the landlord a video tape of basement and he apologised. When the Board of Health came in, it was learned that it was actually sewer, raw sewerage, in the basement. The BOH ordered the owner to send in a hazmat certified team to thoroughly clean the apartment before micro organisms spread everywhere. He did not. Instead, he sent over a company who are not hazmat certified. Stephen and Joi witnessed the company spraying the sewerage right into the back yard while emptying the basement and left bags of hazardous waste in the tenants trash cans. Stephen had also mentioned to the Board of health that there was mold in the bathroom to which Stephen said their reply was, every house has mold, just kilz and paint it. Weeks later when Stephen attempted to turn the heat on, the odor of smoke quickly spread through the house. The furnace had not been replaced after the sewerage flood. The Fire Department was called and red tagged the furnace for repair or replacement. Through every situation, the landlord denied there was a problem. Even when the Board of Health got involved, the landlord was never fined for not using a hazmat certified company or for not having other important work completed. Stephen and Joi had no choice but to take the landlord to court and get reimbursed the money they had spent. The landlord fixed the issue the night before court and the case was thrown out.
Joi, Stephen and Joi's daughter had been getting sick since they moved in but had never made the connection until the sewerage mess. After several doctors visits, it was recommended that they have the air quality tested in their house. Which they did and paid for, again, out of pocket. Bon A Fide home and mold inspections came out and did the testing. The results were anything but good (see photo). The board of health condemned the house and are requiring the mold issue be resolved before the house can be occupied (see photo). The owner then turned around and started the eviction process stating he was doing so because of all the Board of Health calls. In the meantime Stephen took to social media and local news stations about their troubles. Before long, he was receiving comments and messages from former tenants. They had also gotten sick and stated that there has been mold issues in that house for many years and they all felt the owner was aware of it. For her own reasons, the judge in the eviction case awarded the landlord the right to evict the tenants for non payment of rent and said the other issues, money the tenants spent on repairs, mold etc, were a separate issue. Because the Board of Health had condemned the house, they had no choice but to leave. So now they are left, out thousands of dollars and no place to live. The board of health is requiring the mold issues be resolved before the house can be occupied again. Without the means to get another apartment they are homeless. Friday was spent going to and calling charity after charity, organization after organization, all without promise. Someone had mentioned a local church as a possibility for help. They met with a local priest who was able to contact the Best Western Hotel in Milford and secure a room with one bed and a cot for Stephen, Joi and her daughter. Through the tremendous generosity of the church, the family had a roof over their heads for a few more days. The staff at Best Western was incredibly empathetic to the families situation as well. Chris, the hotels afternoon manager, put a call in to his boss and was able to upgrade the room the church had paid for, at no charge to anyone, so their daughter could have a bed of her own. The out pouring of support for this family has been wonderful. People are coming forward offering household supplies, kitchenware, cloths, furniture etc. Because of the mold toxicity, they were forced to throw out everything they owned. A gofundme account has been set up for the family. With all the generous donations of material items the family is in need of financial assistance to get them on their feet and to secure new housing.
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Stephen's life hasn't been the best. He has grand mal seizures and depends on his service dog to warn them when one is coming. He cannot drive or work because of his disability and makes minimum from social security. Stephens first wife, Stacie goulet , and mother of his now adult children, was the victim of Woonsocket's Serial killer, Jeffrey Mailhot , in 2004. He raised his children alone and did an amazing job. Joi grew up and works as a postal worker in one of our neighboring towns and raised her children on her own as well. Almost 7 years ago the two met up again, having know each other off and on for most of their lives. It was then they managed to blend their families to make one big, loving one. This family have all been through far more then any one person should. It was a pleasure spending the last few days with them, getting to know them and their dilemma.
