GoFundMe Set Up For Displaced Waukesha Condo Residents

WAUKESHA, WI—A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Waukesha condo residents/owners displaced after an evacuation in early December.

The Waukesha Fire Department ordered the evacuation of Horizon West Condominiums, 315 N. West Ave., on Dec. 2 because of deteriorating structural conditions at the building, the city said.

Some 65 residents were evacuated. Residents were later allowed into the building to retrieve personal items. It is not known if the building will be repaired or demolished.

As a result of recent inspections, the city's chief building inspector found the condominium building to be unfit for human occupancy, the city said earlier.

Waukesha Fire Chief Steve Howard and city leaders deemed it imperative to evacuate residents immediately.

Alicia Halvensleben, a condo resident, told Patch in a previous interview residents were given 15 minutes to evacuate.

Construction work was underway on the building, Halvensleben said.

"They were removing the balconies, and I'm assuming part of that process was checking on the state of the building. I guess whatever happened, they must have discovered something," she said.

Construction has been going on for months, Halvensleben said. She questioned the evacuation at such a late hour.

"What happened that was so immediate in that moment? We knew there were issues with the balconies. We were never told there would be issues with the building," she said.
Halvensleben had spent $13,000 to have the balcony removed, she added.

"We spent all this money to do that and keep staying there. Now we can't even stay there," she said.

Diane McGeen is organizing of the GoFundMe page. McGeen's mother, Ione Kohler, is one of the Horizon West Condominiums residents and president of the Horizon West Homeowners Association, according to a Waukesha Freeman report.

The GoFundMe said the critical issue that caused the building to be unstable has been corrected for the time being. Residents were able to retrieve belongings but only a small amount of people at one time.

There has been no financial Assistance, other than emergency Red Cross Services, according to the GoFundMe.

"This building is still owned by 48 families! There is a high probability, that no insurance money will be paid, since it wasn't a disaster or an act of God that caused this - it may be years before culpability is determined. Many of the families have mortgages - technically responsible for a mortgage and now - rent," the GoFundMe said.

As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe has raised $1,775.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.