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North Miami Beach Mayor Creates GoFundMe Page To Help Displaced Crestview Towers Residents

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Some residents of Crestview Towers, a condo building deemed unsafe in North Miami Beach, say they have nowhere to go. They're now pleading for help.

"I'm pleading and asking anyone in the community to step forward, and that's why I created the GoFundMe page," said North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo.

DeFillipo said his heart hurts when thinks of the about 300 residents who were displaced when Crestview Towers was deemed unsafe.

In his capacity as a resident, he made the bold move to create a GoFundMe to raise money for his neighbors.

"Unfortunately, some of these people have been kind of like kicked in the stomach again and they had to kick the reset button again," said DeFillipo. "And it's very heart-wrenching to see they have to go through this and start all over again with nothing whatsoever, then we have a meal to put on their table."

The majority of the residents who are renters have temporarily been placed in hotels being paid for by the Homeless Trust and Camillus House. Not only will that end on August 16, but many in the temporary housing don't have a kitchen or microwaves, creating an additional bill.

And owners like Carmen Bethel say they are not getting any assistance at all.

"My family, we felt homeless, we felt homeless. We are told be glad you didn't go through what Surfside went through, but I tell people you don't what it like also being alive and going through this," Bethel said.

Bethel said she and her mom are currently sharing a room at family member's home, while her son is sleeping on the couch. Her grandmother, who has dementia, is staying with another family member and is also struggling with the change.

"She thinks she's been displaced permanently to not come back home, so she's crying, she's pacing," Bethel said.

Bethel's family owns four units. Coming up with first, last and a security deposit for all of them is just not possible right now.

It's a concern that Mayor DeFillipo is trying to address.

"Putting my community leadership aside, as a human being I had to do something to help them," he said. "I could not continue put my head on a pillow every day and let this go through my head and these pleas for help, so every little bit."

Click Here if you would like to donate to help them.

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