House fire central Maine 1/21/25

So my family and I just suffered a sizable loss in a house fire Tuesday afternoon in Central Maine. We’re finding out after this happened our landlord who is also a close family member had stopped paying due to a cut in income and rather then speaking up, chose to let it go unpaid. Had they said something I would have paid no questions asked as home owners insurance is a must. The situation was I would ultimately get half the house on paper and the rest be mine in an inheritance situation later in life. This person had purchased the property off another family member a few years ago in a rent to own situation. My uncle (previous owner) caught wind of the situation as the landlord (family member who owns house) and said if I get her to sign the house over 100% he will give the house to me outright and hopes by doing so I will fix the house. This house has been in my family since the 80s and when my uncle moved out my mom moved in and I ended up coming home as a new born there 27 years ago. The house is a 1500ish sq ft home with an efficiency apartment attached to the rear of the building. My fiance (27f), my sister(14) and my two daughters (8 and 9months) are now displaced, and having lost a good 3/4 of everything my fiance and I had built for ourselves over the past 11.5 years.

This house means the world to me and honestly not worried about the market value as I’m not going to sell it. As long as it doesn’t take 150k to make it livable and efficient I am ready to make it happen. The repair is going to be costly and it’s money we don’t have all at once and we’re weighing our options. We both work but her being a waitress and me working from home and selling firewood as a side hustle, it just isn’t going to cut it. I hate to even consider asking for help as that’s not the way I was raised and that’s not the way I raise my children. Everything we have (had) we got ourselves brick by brick and we were finally getting ahead until this. 

This changes everything. Today, as I write this poorly written post, I am left lost and not sure what to do next. We need materials. We need help. Money is not what we are looking for, honestly would much rather have materials like windows, insulation, Romex wire, siding, plywood, Sheetrock, contractor services, anything, something. I am ready to do what’s needed in return as I am a hard worker and very capable. I may not be perfect but if I’m anything in the cold world I am a good dad and I can be counted on. I’m the kinda guy when driving and I see someone broke down I stop or make my old lady pullover, no matter how mad she gets at me, we stop. I help those I know and I help people complete strangers to me. Why? Because I know what it’s like to be there. I’d be lying if I said I had a good life. This world has gone to shit, people aren’t the same anymore and it’s hard to find someone you can trust so I try to be that person in life no matter if I can’t help I still give it all I got because I know what it would mean to me. 

If anyone, knows anything, any place I can reach out to other then Red Cross as we are already in touch, it would mean the most to me and my family. If this post isn’t aloud here I’m sorry as I’m not big into Reddit and not even sure how it works.