Environmentally Safer Housing

Welcome to our Canary Housing GoFundMe Campaign. For those new to our organization, our mission is to develop New York State housing accessible to the disability called Environmental Illness (EI) . In spite of the solid medical evidence supporting this life-altering condition, the national support systems for accessibility do not include this disability. In our everyday life, we all live with a high number of untested and hidden chemicals, as well as increasing levels of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radio waves, all without looking at potential health issues. These pollutants degrade our immune and neurological systems. One consequence of exposure to chemical and EMF pollution is a crippling hypersensitivity to chemicals, molds, EMFs and radio frequencies, often at relatively low levels.

Avoidance is the most important tool for managing the degenerative nature of this disease process. Housing that “AVOIDs” selects products and designs to create a higher level of indoor air quality and lower EMFs. Safer housing is the all-important base for living with, and managing this disease process. Yet there is no funding path for accessible housing for Environmental Illness.

In 2015 several disabled people came together to form the 501c3 non-profit Canary Housing, Inc. The idea was to develop housing for this underserved community and give them a fighting chance to survive. Since the medical, architectural, and political professionals have denied or avoided the damage being done to an increasing number of individuals, it became apparent that we need to own and manage our own housing. We borrowed a well-tested model for a limited equity, scattered site, dedicated, cooperative, and in 2015 we bought an old farmhouse to renovate into several safer apartments.

The business plan for the renovation was undermined by the impact of Covid 19 on interest rates, labor, and materials costs. Now new sources of funding need to be developed for the low-interest loan required to complete the project. We need to turn to the larger community to help fund this innovative and much-needed project with donations and Crowd Funding Campaigns.

This current request for $10,000 will cover our basic administrative costs for a year, giving us time and stability while we try to either find or develop a low-interest loan or a recapturable grant.

Total $10,000

This amount allows us to:

1. continue physically working on the house.

2. keep trying to develop low-interest funding for EI housing,

3. influence disability housing legislation to include this disability and this housing model.

For more information about the project and this community, our website is canaryhousingcooperative.org

https://canaryhousingcooperative.org/

Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to read our story. And thank you for supporting us with your contributions.