Community raises more than $50,000 to keep man with special needs as neighbor

Sheri Berkery
Lamar Harris of Gloucester Township can stay in his home, thanks to the kindness of his neighbors and church community, who raised more than $50,000 to pay back taxes.
Lamar Harris of Gloucester Township can stay in his home, thanks to the kindness of his neighbors and church community, who raised more than $50,000 to pay back taxes.

GLOUCESTER TWP., N.J. - Some people really know how to make a guy feel at home.

Lamar Harris' neighbors were so set on having him stick around, they raised more than $50,000 to pay off the back taxes he owed on his house.

Harris, an adult with special needs, has lived on Cherry Circle in Gloucester Township all his life. But over time, he lost the family members who cared for him and handled some of the everyday tasks he could not. Harris' mother died when he was 8, his grandmother when he was 12. Just in the last few years, he lost his father and brother, according to a GoFundMe campaign that was launched July 23.

Neighbors organized the fundraiser, titled "Help Lamar Save His Home," after learning that a $50,000 lien placed Harris in imminent danger of foreclosure.

"As a result of the death of his family members, his reading deficits, and his inability to understand finances, he has fallen behind in his property taxes," according to the GoFundMe page.

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In less than two weeks — and a few days ahead of an Aug. 5 municipal deadline — the campaign exceeded its goal, raising more than $50,000.

An additional $2,000 was due at the end of the month for quarterly taxes, a neighbor told Action News. Another neighbor donated $3,000 in cash as the news station was in the neighborhood.

The organizers of the GoFundMe campaign said "all money donated will go into a bank account which has been set up to help Lamar's housing issue."

Once Harris' taxes are paid off, he has to prove he has a plan to pay future taxes, according to the Action News report.

Harris' neighbors said they are working to find an attorney to advocate for him.

In the meantime, Harris will continue to do everything he can to help himself — and his neighbors.

He has a part-time job doing menial tasks that he's held since he was 15, and he also cuts lawns for some of his neighbors, according to the GoFundMe page.

"We, his neighbors, all agree he would not be able to function anywhere else," the page stated. "There is no place like home."

Follow Sheri Berkery on Twitter: @SheriBerkery

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Neighbors raise $59K to help man with special needs keep his house