Thanking God, his people: Outpouring of support helps Durham mom stuck in moldy rental home

In just 24 hours after WRAL News reported on the conditions of a Durham rental home, more than $1,000 was donated to help the family stuck there.

Posted 6:33 p.m. Jul 21, 2021 — Updated 1:51 p.m. Jul 22, 2021

Sarah Krueger

, WRAL reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — In just 24 hours after WRAL News reported on the conditions of a Durham rental home, more than $1,000 was donated to help the family stuck there.

"So many people have taken time out of their lives to care about us," an overjoyed Tia Hoyt told WRAL News.

"People have taken their hard earned money and donated to help us. I thank God for his people and his grace and mercy. I remained humble and respectful and it carried me a long ways.“

Hoyt, who does not have a job, shares the home with her four children. Her rent is paid through a voucher program from the Durham Housing Authority. She reached out to WRAL News about mold and dampness in her home which, she says, her landlord has failed to fix.

Tia Hoyt is raising four young children in a rental home from the Durham Housing Authority with mold and mushrooms growing. She said she's issues with the home since she moved in two years ago.

Tia Hoyt is a survivor of domestic violence, and is renting the home through a voucher program called Shelter Plus.

"I'm just tired. You can't even cook in there. It stinks," she said. "The water is all up under your feet."

Generous donors reached out to Hoyt and to WRAL News to offer clothing, diapers, food and money to help her. A GoFundMe page quickly raised $1,300.

"I'm so glad Sarah (Krueger, WRAL Durham reporter) is who I connected with because she moves mountains. She gets the job done. She keeps it real. She genuinely cares about us and our situation and I'm forever grateful," Hoyt said.

Hoyt says that the DHA should not allow her landlord to be a recipient of their vouchers. The home is inspected each January, and each year it fails inspection, she said.

Mushrooms growing in Tia Hoyt's rental home

Over the years, Hoyt told WRAL News, she has had issues with her hot water, water bubbling up from underneath the kitchen floor, mold, a broken stove and a broken refrigerator. And the issues keep piling up.

Satinder Dayal, Hoyt's landlord, said that she hasn't been told about any issues recently.

DHA CEO Anthony Scott said that they have the power to remove a landlord if there is a "chronic failure" to keep the unit safe. If the landlord is taking advantage of the tenant, they can be banned.