North Port family still waiting for help 2 years after Hurricane Ian

A trailer has become a makeshift home for Justin and Jamie Kendrick. They and their two young sons squeeze inside as their permanent home off of Shumock Avenue in North Port remains gutted. 

"For me it’s very depressing just because I can’t be the father I should be because of my home," said Justin Kendrick.  

The Kendrick’s lived through Hurricane Ian as the Category 5 storm passed through North Port in September 2022. Their longtime home was destroyed. 

READ: As hurricane season kicks off, lessons learned from woman whose home was damaged by Hurricane Ian

"I thought maybe a year at most we could have the house together. I thought it would be a quick fix," said Justin. 

However, what they thought would be a quick fix, turned into a nightmare. Jame Kendrick said their plumbing and dry wall were damaged during the storm and their roof came off. 

As soon as electricity was restored, the Kendrick’s applied for an SBA loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Documents show $259,000 was promised, and they received a first lump sum of $50,000 for repairs. 

After providing documents saying further repairs were needed, nearly two years later they said they haven’t seen any of the additional promised money. 

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"We’ve had, I think, six or seven case workers for the SBA, everybody does something different. There’s no real management there, so you can’t talk to anybody who is in charge and if you ask them a question they say your file is in another department," said Jamie. 

FOX 13 tried to learn more from the SBA, and they sent the following statement:

"While we would like to help with the survivor information you are requesting, unfortunately, to protect the identity of the person that has applied with us, we cannot share more information for PII (personally identifiable information) reasons. However, you may request additional information through FOIA."

As the Kendrick's waited, black mold formed in their home and sent Jamie to the hospital. Their two sons, one of whom is autistic, have also been uprooted since September 2022. 

"I want my home back," said their eldest son Greyson. 

READ: Florida’s Babcock Ranch proves resilient communities are possible after surviving Hurricane Ian

Jamie and Justin continue to wait to be able to build back a new foundation for their future. The Kendrick's have been told they’ll receive the full amount of their SBA loan by the end of the month, but it’s a promise they’ve heard before. 

"I have a plumber lined up, drywall, AC people. Everything that you need for the house I have it lined up, but I’m just waiting for the money," she said.

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