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Teresa Álvarez, a 93-year-old woman living alone in the Silver Court mobile home park in Little Havana, Miami, received support from her neighbors after it was revealed that she must leave her home before May 31 in order to receive a compensation of only 10,000 dollars.
Teresa bought her trailer in 1993 for eight thousand dollars and dedicated more than three decades of savings to improve it. "All by myself, with my own strength, as you can see, I have been building it up," she explained. Today, that trailer is valued at around 50,000 dollars.
The woman, originally from Costa Rica, did not marry or have children and relies on the support of those around her.
"I don't feel well, I'm unwell, I'm sick," she said in front of the cameras. At her age, she can hardly take care of herself.
After her story was published in N+ Univision 23 Miami, a neighbor named Katia offered to take her in.
"When the notice arrived, I first thought of her. I said: I'll take her, no matter what, I'll take her, and to some extent; that has calmed her down because she knows we won’t abandon her," Katia assured.
For Teresa, that gesture is a salvation, but it is not enough.
"If I had to leave alone, I think I wouldn't be able to handle it," she confessed.
The elderly woman also asks for financial support so as not to become a burden: "What I'm asking for is that you help me financially so that I can also contribute to Katia, because it's not fair to have a person who isn't related to you."
Regarding the compensation offered by the landowners, Teresa was direct: "But that runs out, that will be gone soon."
And he added: "I think it's fair to give a little more money to elderly people."
The eviction affects 283 families from the complex Silver Court, located at 8th Street and 30th Avenue in southwest Miami.
The company that owns the land, The Urban Group notified residents in March that they must vacate the premises. Those who leave before May 31 will receive up to $10,000; the final deadline is September 30.
The Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica became aware of the case, and Rossy Pedrosa visited Teresa to seek additional support.
The journalist Javier Díaz from N+ Univision 23 Miami also launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to assist her.
Teresa expresses with sorrow what it means to lose the only home she has known in the United States: "I feel shattered, having to leave my little house, having to leave everything."
And she adds with resignation: "I understand that the land was not ours and that someday this would happen, and that day has come and I was not prepared."
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