Community raises funds after eviction

A GoFundMe campaign was launched on Wednesday (Dec. 17) to assist Sokhara Kim, the former owner of Nice 'N Neat Dry Cleaners in Philipstown, and her husband, Chakra Oeur, who were evicted from their home and business last week.

Kim says she was duped by an acquaintance who told her he had purchased the building at 3154 Route 9 and she no longer had to make payments on her mortgage.

According to Janice Hogan, a Philipstown resident who posted the fundraiser, Oeur had returned home from his second kidney transplant the day before the eviction. The couple, who are natives of Cambodia, are staying with Kim's daughter in Connecticut, according to the site, and the funds raised will help cover medical and legal expenses.

"All my time living in the United States, I constantly get the feeling of missing my beloved homeland," Oeur said, according to the site. "Now, I experience the feeling of missing my Cold Spring home and my beautiful garden - hopeless, helpless, miserable, empty. The dark feeling shows up in Sokhara's activities. I can feel her pain and frustration even though she doesn't say anything."

The campaign, at dub.sh/sokhara-chakra, raised nearly $30,000 within 24 hours.