Activist Who Fought Housing Discrimination Is Now Homeless, And The Internet Is Here To Help
A woman who fought tirelessly to ensure everyone has equal access to housing now has nowhere to call home.
Dorothy “Dottie” Mulkey’s house was filled with donations to charitable organizations when it caught fire on Dec. 14. Mulkey — the plaintiff in the Reitman vs. Mulkey case that challenged and defeated housing discrimination in California in 1967 — was at church at the time of the fire, and lost most of the belongings inside her Santa Ana, California, home.
Now, a Crowdrise page focused on helping Mulkey get back into her house by raising $20,000 is garnering support from those hoping to help. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $2,100 had been raised.
Mulkey, 74, told the Orange County Register her home insurance had expired last August, and she’d wanted to wait and research new policies before buying a new one. She planned on getting new insurance for the home — a three-bedroom she purchased in 1970 — by the end of the year.
“The fire didn’t wait for that,” Mulkey, who has been staying at a friend’s house, told the news outlet. “For 40 years I had paid insurance. When I needed it, it had lapsed.”
Support Mulkey by visiting the Crowdrise page or using the widget below.
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