Palm Springs storage business forgives debt to help family in need
Layia Williams, her daughter Janaya, and her son Andre recently moved into a desert apartment.
Williams said she could afford it only after selling her car.
“It was either keep paying for a hotel or get a place for my kids so they could be more comfortable,” said Williams.
Before moving into the place in June, Williams says she and her children were living week to week in valley hotels, after moving here from Las Vegas.
During the move, she put her family’s personal belongings in a storage unit at Storquest Palm Springs, items including Andre’s walker, braces, I-V pump, syringes, and other medical supplies.
The 12-year-old has cerebral palsy and is “developmentally delayed”.
“He needs that gait trainer. I’m more focused on his gait trainer. I want him to walk, to be able to walk. “I don’t want him to keep relying on his wheelchair,” said Williams.
Since putting her families belongings in storage, Layia says she has “fallen behind” financially, and became late on monthly payments to Storquest, totaling about $1,400.
She says Storquest told her if she did not have the remaining balance paid by 10:00 Wednesday morning, December 12th, the business would put her belongings, including Andre’s medical equipment, up for auction.
In a tough spot, Layia asked News Channel 3 to get involved.
We visited the storage facility to speak to a manager to see if they might be willing to work with Layia to help resolve her situation.”
A manager at the site told us he would speak with his boss and get back to us.
By mid-afternoon, Tuesday, a representative for Storquest called us and said they were forgiving Layia’s debt.
The company provided this written statement:
“At Storquest self-storage, we’re committed to giving back to the communities we serve. When uncovering the GoFundMe page that Lasherata Williams created to raise the outstanding balance of her storage unit, we knew it was an opportunity to give back to a family in need, in a meaningful way. After releasing all of her son’s stored medical supplies, we covered the entire cost of the storage unit to help the family enjoy a happy and joyful holiday season this year.”
Tuesday morning, before she knew her debt was forgiven, Layia talked about her faith.
“With prayer, and faith that I have, that is how I get by,” said Williams.
The mother of four says she is currently taking classes at College of the Desert to become an EMT and says caring for Andre allows her to work only part-time, as a home care aide.
Despite her struggles, Layia has hope for the future.
“I do what I have to do to make sure my kids have what they need,” said Williams.
Layia’s daughter has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help support the family.
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