Harvey, Illinois mayor pays to have burned-out house torn down so displaced neighbor can go home
A senior from the south Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois is getting an unexpected financial boost to help her with home repairs after a fire.
Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark decided to foot the bill to demolish a neighboring house so the work could get started.
Alma West has been displaced from her block in Harvey since January.
"It's been extremely difficult these last few months," Ms. West said.
Her home remains boarded up after a fire broke out next door — and within minutes, the fire jumped to her house.
"When that little bitty house exploded, it went to the top. When it went to the top, it took my whole second floor," West said. "That where my son's stuff was, and my grandson. Everything that I've ever owned was upstairs."
The next-door fire forced Ms. West out of her home of 50 years, and two months later, she still cannot return.
"I was put up in hotel for 30 days," she said.
Despite having insurance and contractors ready to move in amd and make repairs, nothing could get started on Ms. West's home because the space between the burned home and her home was just too tight. An air conditioner in a window at Ms. West's house comes within inches of the torched home.
The only option was the tear the burned-out house down, and Ms. West clearly did have the money to do that.
"The people next door — whatever their reason was, I don't know — they owed money," West said.
That meant the property was not getting fixed anytime soon.
Mayor Clark heard about Ms. West's problem.
"Her insurance was prepared to do the work, but there was something else blocking her and stopping it from being done,' Clark said.
After learning about the predicament, Clark offered more than just words of encouragement.
"God put it on his heart to go ahead and say that he would tear down the house himself," said Ms. West.
Mayor Clark had that burned-out neighboring house torn down not using Harvey city funds, but using his personal account.
"I just decided that it was best for me to go ahead and front that money to the city to allow the work to be done sooner," Clark said.
Mayor Clark will front an estimated $25,000 to help tear down the home once an emergency demolition permit is granted.
"I can't help but say thank you, God, for sending the mayor," said Ms. West. "Didn't nobody else want to help."
Meanwhile, Mayor Clark is quick to disabuse anyone of a notion that this was political.
"I ain't spending $25,000 to be political," he said.
But he said he will spend that much to get Ms. West back home sooner.
