This week I launched our new crowdfunding campaign. Tiny Homes for the Homeless, including Bushfire victims. Bushfires are raging across the entire country. These Bushfires are creating a whole new homeless. At Container of Dreams we are very concerned about all the people who have lost their homes. Already more than 700 homes have perished in these devastating fires. As I write this I hear even more homes have been lost in the Blue Mountains. And it's only the beginning.... I can no longer sit around and do nothing, I have a sense of community and a sense of right and wrong. Right is to help your fellow man/woman. Wrong is to do nothing - absolutely NOTHING AT ALL. That is why I have started this campaign, to do something more than just "thoughts and prayers". I have been personally impacted by these fires. The community where I live was the first to experience the unprecedented conditions when the first fires of this season started in September at the Long Gully fire in Drake, NSW. Our beloved community has now experienced it's 5th bushfire emergency in 9 months. 4 of these in the last 2 months. These recent fires destroyed over 50 homes in our area alone and sadly killed 2 people, which I knew personally. Before that we lived through the February Tabulam fires which destroyed 23 homes. In almost 26 years of living here we have never witnessed anything like this before, NEVER. Container of Dreams was established to help provide housing to the disadvantaged. I believe that losing your home in a bushfire emergency qualifies. These bushfires are creating a widespread accommodation crisis. It's time to help. I am trying to estimate the human cost of these fires and it is overwhelming. With over 740 homes burnt to the ground and 1000's more damaged that equates to 1000's of people who will spend christmas without a home and 1000's more who will have a rotten christmas because of the financial toll of the fires. Then there's the volunteer fire fighters, the volunteer relief workers and others on the ground helping out. The human cost is enormous. I don't like CrowdfundingI must say that I hate crowdfunding. I really hate having to ask people for money. I hate it even more when I think that it should be our government who is paying to help these people. Crowdfunding relies heavily on friends and family networks to donate. I have already harassed my friends and family enough. That is why I won't be asking my friends for money, so I am putting the campaign out there on social media and I will approach businesses and people I know who have money to give, but that is all. If we don't get any donations, or only a few, then so be it. Although I really hope everyone will consider making a donation, no matter how small. Imagine if everyone gave just $10. You probably wouldn't miss it but it could make a huge difference to someone who has nothing or has lost everything. I can't help thinking about what sort of christmas those who have lost everything are going to have? I will give a big Thank you to Janelle Saffin, Member for Lismore, for kickstarting the campaign with a $250 donation - she's good people! I also realise that Christmas is a shit time of year to be asking for donations, as nobody has any spare cash. That's why the campaign will go for three months to allow time to gather resources to build the tiny homes. It's an ongoing program and will need ongoing funds. Maybe you will consider making a donation when the silly season is over and done with. What we are doingWe are extending our Tiny Homes for the Homeless program to include those who lost their homes in the bushfires and were not insured. We want to assist the relief effort by helping rebuild people's lives. We are raising money to fund the purchase of construction materials to build more Tiny Houses. These will be given to people who are finding themselves homeless through no fault of their own. Click on the link if you want to support our crowdfunding campaign to give tiny houses to the homeless, including those made homeless from the bushfires. All money collected will be used to purchase construction materials to build Tiny Houses. https://chuffed.org/project/container-of-dreams-community-workshop Thanks for listening! Clare NOTE: Even while I wrote this blog post I was interrupted half way through by the thick smell of smoke in the air and the looming cloud of smoke engulfing our property. I went outside to check on conditions. The current fire is some way from us, however, We remain vigilant! ...the new normal :(
3 Comments
Rosie
17/12/2019 06:09:39 pm
Will support you in the New Year.
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Clare Urquhart
18/12/2019 02:16:46 pm
Thank you Rosie, have a nice Xmas
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