Georgia family of 10 searching for new home after mother's death
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia family's quest for a new home turns into an outpouring of support from kind strangers.
The Flanigan family is made up of 10 siblings who've been living together in one home since their mother died in 2020.
Tonya Flanigan always taught her children faith and family come first - a lesson her 10 sons and daughters still value.
"We were raised in church. Baptized young. You know how that is. She loved the Lord and she loved her kids," Tavon Flanigan said.
After losing their mother seven months ago when she died from a heart attack, 33-year-old Talisha Flaningan moved all of her nine brothers and sisters into the Clayton County home she shares with her 14-year-old daughter.
"It's hard. It's been very hard. Being the oldest And now I see what my mom went through raising all of us," Talisha Flaningan said.
One of Talisha's new challenges was keeping her siblings happy - or at least content.
"Everybody's grieving and everybody's just bunched up space," she said.
Adding to that challenge is the family must find a new home. Talisha's landlord initially allowed the siblings to stay after their mother died in November but recently asked the family to leave the three-bedroom rental home by August.
"They want us to leave because there are too many of us in here," she said. "They told me to split my siblings up or move, so I chose to move."
But was move is harder said than done.
"The things that I'm finding I can't get into them because of my credit," Talisha said. "So I was like ‘What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’ So I made a post saying ‘I need help.’"
That Instagram post asking for help and not a handout went viral. People have offered to donate money and other necessities. But Talisha says what the Flanigan family really needs is a home large enough for the entire family with a landlord willing to give her a break on her credit issues.
"Like, I don't care what happens we need to get through this together. There's no option of us splitting up," she says.
Leaning on his mother's faith, Tamik Flanigan is certain everything will work out before August.
"You can't rush it, you know? Everything is in His time and it may not come when you ask for it but He's always on time," he said.
Flanigan says she'd prefer to keep her younger siblings in their Clayton County schools, but at this point, she's just looking for a big home in a safe community anywhere in metro Atlanta.
You can contribute to the family's search on their GoFundMe here.
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