by Daniel Johnson
July 23, 2024
This latest act of generosity from Perry follows his promise to build a new home for Josephine Wright, the 94-year-old Hilton Head, South Carolina woman who was fighting developers to keep her land.
After George and Dorothy Williams were scammed by Steven Chastain, who held himself out to the pair as a contractor for HomeSmart Services, filmmaker Tyler Perry is stepping in to rescue the elderly couple. Chastain told the pair that he could do the repairs for $147,000, and after the Williamses paid him $60,000 after taking out a loan, Chastain vanished, leaving the couple holding the bag and with a home that desperately needed repairs.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after Caleb Franklin, the pair’s grandson posted a GoFundMe on behalf of his grandparents, Perry called. According to Dorothy Williams, he told her “Calm down, take a deep breath, you don’t have to worry anymore. I’m going to pay for everything.”
According to the GoFundMe, “Their urgent need for renovations stemmed from hazardous conditions, notably a deteriorated floor resulting from years of water line leaks. Seeking assistance, my grandparents engaged with a team working on a neighboring property. Regrettably, they fell victim to exploitation when a representative presented them with a construction contract under false pretenses, masquerading it as a mere cost estimation. Under duress, my grandparents reluctantly signed, handing over a significant upfront payment.”
Franklin continued, “In March of 2022, the representative claimed to have secured a city permit and requested the remaining 50% deposit of the project’s budget. However, work abruptly ceased the following day, with the crew citing a lack of necessary permits. The company and its workers abandoned the project, leaving my grandparents in dire straits.
Left with no alternative, we had to secure our own permit and proceed with the renovation independently. Adding insult to injury, the company refused to fully refund the initial payment fully, only offering a partial reimbursement of $10,000 while imposing a hefty 25% cancellation fee despite the incomplete work.”
True to his word, the AJC reported that Perry will not only cover the repairs and the initial $100,000 loan they took out to pay the fraudulent contractor, but his team is going to be working with the City of Atlanta on permits and the oversight of the construction of the home.
Perry’s latest act of generosity follows his promise to build a new home for Josephine Wright, the 94-year-old Hilton Head, South Carolina woman fighting developers to keep her land. Despite Wright’s death on January 7, Perry promised that he would still follow through on his promise to her before her passing.
Perry posted on social media that Wright’s story had inspired him, writing, “Your four children, 40 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren will still be able to gather at YOUR house on YOUR land and tell the world what kind of fighter that you were,” he posted. “You have run your race and fought an incredible fight! Journey well, my dear lady. You have inspired me.”
