A Safe Haven for Belle

Hello there, my name is Vishwam Heckert. I'm fundraising for my friend Belle who needs to move to a safe home.  Belle’s doctors and consultants have been requesting a house move as a matter of urgency and have asked to prioritise her housing transfer since 2019.

She has a rare combination of medical conditions (including severe brittle allergic asthma, anaphylactic shock, eosinophilia, and epilepsy). Belle suffers from severe reactions to chemical fumes used near her home,  which doctors confirm are  dangerous and even life-threatening for her,

The housing association has finally agreed to partner with other housing providers to find someplace more suitable but has offered no funds to make this possible for Belle. Great attentive care and costly precautions are needed for a house move for anyone with such severe health conditions.

 

Belle is a wonderfully creative, inspiring, and uplifting soul who has many gifts to share. Her poetry, for example, is phenomenal.

 

Any help you can offer will make a difference! Thank you for helping give Belle a safe home where she can share her gifts with the world!

 

The Longer Story

 

In 2019, a fence pre-treated with toxic chemicals was installed near her home, causing repeated episodes of anaphylactic shock, which nearly resulted in death and has led to severe deterioration of eyesight. Her anaphylactic condition was triggered by the fence's toxic fumes. The housing authority was already aware of her serious lung condition and knew that chemical fumes, particularly volatile compounds (VOCs), would be detrimental to her when installing the fence.

 

She also lives in an industrially polluted area that damages her health. Furthermore, she is a victim of disability-related abuse from neighbours.

 

Despite repeated requests from doctors, Police, the local authority and Belle herself, the housing association failed to make remedial changes or move Belle away from hazards to her health. As a result, Belle has suffered a severe and ongoing impact on her eye and lung health. She can no longer use her garden and is essentially incarcerated inside her home. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated Belle's social isolation due to her immuno-compromised status. (She has severe IgA deficiency, i.e. no first-line immune defence, and has to take prescribed immuno-suppressants to treat brittle asthma). Isolation makes her vulnerable, and it is now even more critical for her to have access to an outdoor space.

 

Belle's complex medical requirements made a previous forced house move expensive and challenging. She has limited financial means, with no savings or assets, and could only move with financial help. The new home will need to be treated with specialist detoxifying products to absorb and neutralise any chemical residues embedded in walls to prevent ongoing air contamination. (This could include air fresheners, cleaning products, perfumes, etc. previously used in the house). I've read a four-page letter from her doctor explaining why such treatment is necessary to avoid exposure to chemicals, which would have a severe and cumulative impact on her long term health, including lung capacity and severity of the allergic condition. In other words, the more Belle is exposed, the more serious it gets. These specialist detoxifying products, although life-saving, are expensive to produce.

 

Belle will need to test it out to ensure she has no severe adverse reaction or if more preparations are needed before completing her move to the new home. She will need to pay for extra help to pack her belongings and move them over this extended test period. Belle will also need to pay for additional medical supplies to support her during this extraordinary strain on her system. Finally, Belle will need to cover rent and bills on both properties until she can complete the move. She can’t do this safely until she knows there are no triggers to her severe lung disease and anaphylactic condition in the new property. Her previous house move took months due to medical complications.

 

Belle’s condition can’t be controlled on full medication. I have read consultant letters which explain how serious this is. The only option she has is to avoid airborne triggers.

 

Publicly funded support is not available to facilitate a safe move in these rare circumstances, and Belle needs the support of others to move to a safe haven. Any support you can offer is a great help and could contribute to a total transformation for Belle. You could help give her a whole new life in which she will be able to access a garden, be free of abuse and harassment, and enjoy the fundamental human right of a peaceful home which does not make her more ill.

 

Thank you! Belle would be enormously grateful for your support!