JACKSONVILLE, Fla – A Jacksonville couple said they’re working to help families displaced by the Highway 82 wildfire in Brantley County get stable housing again by securing mobile homes at reduced cost and connecting victims with financing options.
Michael Fader, a licensed mobile-home dealer and real estate investor, said he and his wife, Amanda, reached out to News4JAX after seeing the devastation left behind by the wildfire.
Fader said the effort is intended to extend beyond a single household.
“We are trying to contribute 100 homes, said Fader. It’s a lot of homes, but it’s very possible with community effort."
One of the families Michael Fader is helping to provide a mobile home to is Edward Ryle and his 87-year old mother Pattie, who lost their 1978 home in the Brantley County Wildfires.
“So we all had to leave… We lost everything,” Edward said. Ryle’s mother, Patti, said the loss still feels unreal.
“It’s like a dream,” she said. “It’s not even a reality to me yet.”
Fader said he works with manufacturers to try to bring replacement homes to fire victims at a lower cost than typical retail.
“We’re working with the manufacturers to replace these homes at better than manufacturer costs,” Fader said. A home like this to the retail public would probably be about $90,000. We are able to get this home below $50,000 for them.
Fader also said they can help connect displaced families to what he described as reputable, non-predatory lenders.
“There are lenders that we know of that are non-predatory lenders… that can lend these folks money,” Fader said. “If you don’t have financing, if you don’t have insurance, we’re gonna be able to assist you… on all fronts.”
Fader said the work isn’t limited to securing the homes.
“We need as much help as we can get,” he said. “We need plumbers, we need septic folk, we need electricians.”
He said he hopes to coordinate with Brantley County officials to streamline the process for displaced residents seeking replacement housing.
“We want to talk to Brantley County to see if we can streamline some of this process for folks because people are going to want to get back to their homes fast,” Fader said.
Fader said families looking for help can contact him directly at (904) 453-7968.
Click here for more information.