Fundraiser aiding families displaced by Millbrae fire

Since then, Abukharroub has been living in a hotel with his wife and three young children. They have relied on aid from the Red Cross, but that support is running out.

Temporarily unemployed due to the stay-at-home order, Abukharroub said his options to protect his family are limited. He’s been offered to stay at a shelter, but fears of COVID-19 transmission are too great.

“It’s scary because of the virus,” he said.

Recognizing the family has nowhere to turn, Salah Elbakri intervened with assistance through his Support Life Foundation, an organization focused on social and economic justice.

Elbakri was contacted by a colleague asking if he could help families displaced by the apartment fire. He initially started providing meal assistance, but realized the need was much greater.

“I realized that those people have lost everything, I was not just going to cater food for them,” he said.

Relying on a wide network of religious and civic leaders, Elbakri started rallying financial and other forms of support for the former residents of Hemlock Avenue. The call for help was answered by various forms of charity, as locals donated clothing, underwear, socks and other essential goods. Some provided diapers to help mothers with infants who cannot go shopping amid a pandemic.

“This tragedy could not have happened at a worst time,” he said.

Above all, a financial challenge prevailed. Most of the 11 displaced families faced a critical issue similar to Abukharroub — limited money and time.

So Elbakri launched an online fundraiser, with hopes of generating enough money to help all those suffering find a stable place to live. With a long history in providing aid through his foundation, Elbakri knows the urgency around staving off housing instability.

“Once you hit homelessness, it becomes incredibly hard to rescue,” he said. “The whole deck is stacked against you.”

The issue is especially challenging in the Bay Area, where housing prices are always high and landlords are currently less able to consider cutting rents due to the economic hardship brought by COVID-19.

Elbakri is hopeful to raise $55,000, which can be split equally among the families. Though the need for assistance is much greater, he is optimistic $5,000 per displaced household will be sufficient for a deposit and at least one month’s rent, which could be supplemented with housing vouchers provided by local nonprofits.

“All 11 units are facing one condition that I know too well in my work in charitable giving — the condition of homelessness,” he said.

He added most of those displaced by the fire cannot go back to work, due to both their circumstances and the pandemic.

“There are really, really hardworking people like all of us,” he said.

Even if the fundraiser meets its goal, Elbakri suggested the money may not be sufficient to find housing for all the families locally. He feared some may need to move to Sacramento or other outlying parts of the state.

Abukharroub said the uncertainty of what might be next for his family is terrifying, and that many others who lived in the apartment complex share similar fears.

“The whole building — the whole situation is really bad,” he said.

And while he is hopeful he can soon get back on his feet, Abukharroub said immediate assistance would be appreciated.

“We need it,” he said. “We need it so bad.”

Visit app.mobilecause.com/vf/MillbraeFire to donate or find out more about the Support Life Foundation.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105