Relief fund for victims of The Cooper apartments fire needs help to reach goal

The Fort Worth community is rallying around the residents of The Cooper apartments, through donations to help them recover from the fire that displaced then two weeks ago.

Near Southside Inc., Fort Worth District 9 Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck’s office, and the Tarrant County United Way have organized a relief fund for the residents. They have raised $87,000 and are trying to meet their goal of $100,000 by Wednesday.

Megan Henderson with Near Southside Inc. said that 100% of the proceeds will go to the fire victims.

On the day of the fire, Henderson and others who worked at Near Southside Inc. could hear the fire trucks one after the other heading to The Cooper. Henderson said that it wasn’t until the following day that they could see what had happened.

“That the fire had burned a significant portion of the building,” Henderson said. “It was not a small incident. It was a big deal, and that there were residents without a lot of guidance as to what happens next for them.”

The apartment complex is in Councilwoman Beck’s district, and she said that she had an opportunity to speak with some of the residents.

“It’s been a really difficult time for them, and I’m glad that they’re able to get all of these resources out to them,” Beck said. “Hopefully soon and mitigate some of that cost factor that they’re dealing with.”

Henderson emphasized the need for monetary donations versus clothing and other supplies that residents might not be able to use or store until they have a new place to live.

“I think that cash may feel impersonal to some people, but the truth is it provides a ton of dignity to a fire victim to choose the thing that they need,” she said.

Henderson wanted to highlight that while small donations from the public are essential and are helping get to the relief fund to the finish line, there is also a need for businesses and corporations to help.

“We need corporate donors, we need people who understand that this is 800 residents,” Henderson said. “It is like an entire neighborhood catching fire if they were in single-family homes. I mean, it is a disaster.”

On June 30, Gov. Greg Abbott announced he directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request that the U.S. Small Business Administration join state and local partners in conducting a preliminary damage assessment. He also said that residents can submit a self-reported damage survey on TDEM’s website.

“If we can get above that $100,000 goal, which would be incredible, then that just means we can serve more of the 800 people in crisis,” Henderson said.

She said that while the business community has been generous in their effort to help the victims, they are still in a desperate situation, with many just slightly over the poverty line, and most of the residents do not qualify for other types of aid.

One resident reached out for help to get a hotel for a night, and a private citizen stepped up to help get them a room for the night until a local organization could find a solution for the following days.

One of the tenants, Alessandra Rizzi, said the experience has been devastating and that even the few clothes firefighters were able to get out of her apartment smelled like smoke and were not usable anymore.

Henderson said the Community Relief Center at One Safe Place will host its final day Wednesday from 12-5 p.m. for residents to access support services.

“We’re really calling to action everyone that we can, in hopes that a collective effort delivers the resources that are needed,” Henderson said.