HAMDEN — Residents displaced by a Mix Avenue fire in June finally will receive money raised through a GoFundMe meant to aid them in the wake of the blaze.
The fate of the donations caused a stir last month when contributors learned their money was being refunded.
Money can only remain in GoFundMe limbo for a limited amount of time, and the town’s community development department struggled to transfer it to an outside account within the allotted period — 90 days from the time the fundraiser receives its first donation.
When news of the refund broke, GoFundMe stepped up and replenished the full amount of around $2,900 from its own coffers.
This time, the town was able to transfer the money out of the account, according to Mayor Lauren Garrett.
“I talked to Rick Galarza today, and he was working on it when I walked into his office,” she said Tuesday, referring to the deputy finance director. “He has the money from the GoFundMe and is issuing out checks to the victims.”
The fire in an apartment building over the summer displaced roughly 90 residents.
Resident Albert “Al” Lotto set up the GoFundMe as part of a community effort to help the victims, later designating a town employee as the beneficiary so the money could be distributed through the community center.
Lotto expressed surprise and frustration in November after learning the money had not been distributed.
He was much happier about this month’s news.
“I am pleased that the money will eventually wind up in the hands of the people it was intended for,” he said Tuesday in a statement. “Thank you to the new administration for helping sort it out and I look forward to possibly working together in the future.”
Going forward, Hamden is seeking to prevent wrinkles in the donation process by making it possible to donate to town gift funds online.
An online option could encourage donations to entities such as the Hamden food bank, the community gift fund, the town youth services bureau and the animal shelter gift fund, according to Garrett.
“I think more people, honestly, would donate to the town if there was an easy online way to do so,” she said.
She and Galarza are in discussions about next steps to make online donations possible.
“I think it’s great. I think it’s bringing the town into the 21st century,” Galarza said of the idea.
As for the Mix Avenue victims, donation recipients should receive their checks by the end of the week, according to Galarza.
“Community services provided us a list of 39 names that the funds were supposed to get distributed to,” Galarza said.
55 units were affected by the fire.
Residents of 40 of those units sought assistance from the town, according to Y’Isiah Lopes, who oversees the Keefe Community Center.
“Of the 40 residents one resident declined and asked that it be distributed between the other fire victims, stating that they did not need any more assistance. The 39 clients that received the GoFundMe money are the clients who came to the Keefe Community Center/Community Services Department and completed a relocation application,” he said in an email to the Register.
meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
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