Help Build a Refugee Makerspace !
OUR MISSION:
Help members of the RDJ Refugee Shelter stay warm in the winter, earn an income, refurbish old discarded furniture and produce new furniture.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM & PROBLEM:
The RDJ Refugee Shelter is the only shelter in New York City specifically for asylum seekers and political refugees. Over half were persecuted for political or religious activism, while one-third of have faced violence due to human rights violations.
We provide a safe and supportive space for men to sleep at night, while also linking them to legal, language, and health resources.
Unfortunately, guests have to leave every morning at 7am, and most people spend the whole day outdoors.
"I don't have my work authorization yet, so I can't work. All I can do is sit and remember everything" a refugee from West Africa told us.
"It causes so much depression."
THE SOLUTION:
Starting in December 2016, the RDJ Refugee Shelter will pilot a three month furniture refurbishing project to provide guests with a warm place to stay, a therapeutic and creative activity, and the chance to earn an income. Under the guidance of an architect who was an asylum seeker himself and a carpenter, refugees and asylum seekers will receive a basic training in carpentry, and will beautify and recycle old discarded furniture. Guests will sell them during an end of winter exhibition.
Not only will this workshop allow guests to be creative and active while they await work authorization, but it will lay the foundation for a worker owned furniture cooperative.
We are reaching out to you – our family, friends, and extended community members for support as we stand in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers from across the world.
THE NEED:
The RDJ Refugee Shelter is a program of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Harlem. We already have free space donated to us from Church of St. Edward the Martyr. Now we just need to stock the workshop with materials,tools and supplies. If you are local to the NYC area and would like to donate items, click https://goo.gl/YXgqGZ
Budget
Van $7,200.00
Material $2,400.00
Start up Equipment $929.00
(required to scale up production soon) $3,651.00
Coordinator $2,000.00
Studio Manager $1,620.00
Rent $1,200.00
Instruction Materials $400.00
Sales Event Petty Cash $400.00
Exhibition event $200.00
Total Need $20,000.00
