Three of his beloved cats died in the fire, and to make matters worse — Voss did not have homeowner’s insurance on the Uplands Drive home he inherited from his grandparents.
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Since then, Voss’ niece has started a GoFundMe for him, which has raised close to $5,000.
“That’s pretty awesome,” Voss said. “I was really surprised at how many people have responded.”
Voss is currently staying with his grandmother near New Carlisle and said people have dropped off several bags of clothes to him. All he had after the fire broke out was what he was wearing.
Others have called him offering furniture donations or just to give him some encouragement.
He also mentioned that his co-workers rounded up several hundred dollars to give him.
“Thank everyone who’s thought about me and donated or anything like that — it’s really nice. It really makes me feel good,” he said.
But the blessing that brings the biggest smile to his face is a new 10-month-old cat, Evo, that he got from a co-worker.
Ironically enough, he said Evo looks very similar to his cat, Dude.
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“He absolutely makes me feel a little bit better,” he said.
Voss said he knows getting back on his feet will be a long process — dealing with both the emotional and financial aftermath of what happened.
He said he recently testified in front a grand jury prior to the indictment of Christopher Perdue, the man deputies say is at fault. Voss said he has no connection to the Dayton man.
“It’s tough,” Voss said.
But despite that, he said he is grateful for the love and compassion of his friends, family — and complete strangers.
“People have been good to me.”
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