Update (August 10, 2021):  A woman who claimed to be the mother of three children and received over $200,000 in GoFundMe donations to help pay back-rent, admitted that she is actually the babysitter, CNN reported.  

As Blavity previously reported, Dasha Kelly, who goes by Kelly, appeared on CNN last week to share her story about losing her job as a cards dealer at a Las Vegas casino due to the pandemic. 

After news circulated that Kelly is not actually the biological mother to the three girls featured in her story, she took to her GoFundMe to address people’s concerns.

“I’ve been contacted with some concerns around my relationship to the girls mentioned on my fundraiser, and I’d like to clarify a couple things. The girls recognize me as a mother figure in their lives, but I am not their biological mother,” Kelly wrote. “My partner is the children’s father whom I do not live with, and I take care of these girls in my home for periods of time, and have for the last couple years. I've loved these girls unconditionally, and have been out of the kindness of my heart. I treat them as my daughters, and care for them in this way.”

CNN discovered that the children are taken care of by their biological mother Shadia Hilo, and their father, David Allison, who Kelly said was her boyfriend.

In her original post on GoFundMe, Kelly said “I have 3 daughters in Nevada.”

“We were maintaining just before this pandemic hit. Now we are suffering … Please help with anything you can," her original post stated. 

According to CNN’s Nick Watts, the network contacted GoFundMe, who has since investigated and put all of Kelly’s funds on hold. The platform has also notified all donors with instructions on how to secure a full refund if they wish to receive one.

Some donors commended Kelly for coming forward and made an effort to provide consolation by donating even more.

After Aug. 23, any unclaimed donations will be released to Kelly and will go towards living expenses, bills and will be divided amongst the three girls.

Original (August 4, 2021): A Black mom has received thousands in financial support after facing eviction after the federal eviction moratorium expired.

Dash Kelly, a mom of three girls under the age of 10, said she owed $2,000 in back rent after losing her job as a card dealer at a casino in Las Vegas as a result of the pandemic, CNN reported.

After the federal eviction moratorium ended, Kelly was on the brink of being put out and decided to create a GoFundMe to fundraise money to assist with her back rent. To her surprise, Kelly discovered the GoFundMe raised more than $170,000 by almost 3,000 donors in 24 hours.

While sitting on a couch with her daughters, Kelly fought back tears.

"I just want to tell everybody thank you so much. I'm still in denial," she said.

"I had no idea what we were going to do," Kelly said. 

Kelly's story was featured on CNN about the federal eviction moratorium which caught the attention of donors. CNN reported Kelly is one of more than 11 million people who owe back rent. 

The mom of three said the kind gesture by donors "gave me a lot of hope."

"And I just want to make sure I do the best that I can to help the next person that is in my same situation," she continued. 

As Blavity previously reported, the eviction moratorium was put in place as a result of the CARES Act that was passed in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. The initial federal moratorium was set for 120 days for tenants in federally assisted housing or homeowners with federally backed mortgages.

The protection was extended and later expired on July 31. But the CDC has since issued a new federal eviction moratorium that went into effect on Tuesday. The new mandate focuses on areas most impacted by the pandemic and will last only until Oct. 3. 

“This is a tremendous relief for millions of people who were on the cusp of losing their homes and, with them, their ability to stay safe during the pandemic,” National Low Income Housing Coalition President Diane Yentel said. “President Biden’s bold action and leadership in this moment of crisis will save lives and immeasurable suffering.”

According to CNBC, the mandated protection could protect about 90% of renters.

Despite new protections, millions of Americans could still face looming evictions once the mandate expires.