Mother Raises More Than $200,000 After She and Her Three Daughters Faced Eviction

Most people think of Las Vegas as a gambling mecca to win big money and get rich quickly.

Sadly, most people end up leaving with less than they went with.

Dasha Kelly, a young woman facing eviction in North Las Vegas, played a game of chance when she started a GoFundMe account to help with her mounting expenses. Kelly appeared on a CNN segment with her three children by her side, and her life changed after a wave of support came her way.

The segment focused on the rent moratorium and the work of Rep. Cori Bush, who camped out on the Capitol steps, calling for lawmakers to pass the moratorium and help countless families like Kelly who were facing homelessness. It worked. On Tuesday, President Biden announced a short-term moratorium to stop evictions–for now.

According to CNN, Kelly, who was facing eviction with her three daughters, was flooded with donations and raised more than $200,000 at the time of this publication and was overwhelmed when she received word that her GoFundMe total was rising during her time on live TV.

“My name is Kelly and I have 3 daughters living in Nevada. We were maintaining just fine before this pandemic hit. Now we are suffering. We do have EBT for food, and also applied for Chap. However, they do not assist immediately,” Kelly wrote on GoFundMe.

“We owe $1,900 for rent alone not including utilities. I will figure out utilities by pawning a few things. As you all know it is entirely still too hot to be homeless. My daughters are aged 5, 6, and 8. Please help with anything you can.”

Not having the funds to pay the back rent and knowing that the rent moratorium that prevented landlords from evicting tenants during the pandemic was about to expire, she didn’t know what would happen until she appeared on CNN Monday and set up a GoFundMe account.

She set a goal of $2,000 to handle the arrears, and shockingly, more than 3,100 donors contributed more than $200,000 to cover her back rent.

CNN featured Kelly and her three daughters, Sharron, 8; Kia, 6; and Imani, 5, in a segment on Monday. On Tuesday, when CNN’s Erin Burnett informed Kelly, she cried for joy. “I just want to tell everybody, thank you so much,” Kelly said as tears ran down her face. “I’m still in denial.”