Nonprofit asks St. Pete community if they intend to support for help reopening after fire
Fire forces community center to close
FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports on St. Pete’s United Neighborhood Community Center asking for community help in reopening after an electrical fire forced them to close and created over $30,000 in damages.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Pete community center that helps countless people is now in need itself.
An electrical fire sparked by a coffee maker forced the United Neighborhood Community Center off 9th Avenue North to close its doors last week.
United Neighborhood Community Center in St. Petersburg.
"To see how many people that are in need of us right now, but we’re incapable of helping them, it kind of breaks my heart," said Diems Duverlus, President of the United Neighborhood Community Center.
The backstory:
Duverlus said the center helped 25 to 30 families a day.
"We link them to different organizations, different resources that provide, that can help them in their daily needs," Duverlus said.
That includes needs like finding housing, helping with utilities, enrolling in benefits and transportation to appointments.
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They also have a food pantry and clothing donations, and the center partners with AARP to provide workforce training.
What they're saying:
The fire put those programs on hold, though, and it comes at a time when even more people need their help.
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"We were looking to expand our service, but unfortunately, most of our equipment that we bought and that has been given to us, AARP gave us some computers and stuff like that, all of them burned inside," Duverlus said.
Duverlus said the fire destroyed about $35,000 to $40,000 of equipment. This is a financial setback for the center and those who rely on its help.
"We are self-funded. We rely on the generosity of the good citizens in this community," Duverlus said.
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Duverlus started the center almost four years ago. He said helping his mom, who has dementia and is an immigrant, inspired him to help other seniors and anyone who needs it navigate through life’s responsibilities.
"I always believe God is always going to bring beauty from ashes," Duverlus said.
What's next:
As they look for a new home, Duverlus said he’s connecting families in need to other resources in the area.
The Source: FOX 13's Kailey Tracy collected the information in this story.
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