A Home for Nick

My name is Nissa, and I have been raising money to build a small home on our family farm for my young adult son, Nick, who was adopted at the age of 12 from an orphanage in Bulgaria. Due to the nine years he spent at the orphanage where he endured unspeakable abuse, Nick struggles with mental health issues and some developmental challenges. As a result, it is extremely difficult to for him to live completely independently in the community. He is not able live in the same house as his younger siblings, although he strongly desires to live here on the farm and work alongside his family.

Despite Nick’s challenges and disabilities, he learned to read and was fluent in English within three months of his arrival. One afternoon, about six months after joining our family, I heard Nick say to himself while sitting alone in the living room, in perfect English, “I love this family.” That confirmed that I had done the right thing – and that Nick felt he had finally found his home. Even after all of his past wounds from his time at the orphanage, he is the kindest, bravest, most loving person I know.

Nick requires that a caregiver always be within easy reach. Nick currently resides in a group home in a nearby town, about 30 minutes from the farm. He is currently being prepared to return home to live and work, after years of the agencies involved arguing back and forth about funding for the next steps. If I can complete the build, I no longer need to worry about the prospect of him being made homeless or being warehoused again with older adult psychiatric patients. Neither of those outcomes is acceptable.

Nick is highly athletic and loves hard physical work - perfect for life on a farm. He's a fantastic soccer player and loves playing basketball, hiking, and cycling. Some of his favorite activities on the family farm are moving and stacking wood, feed bags, and bales. Nick also loves gardening. He has had the opportunity to work part time in a greenhouse and thoroughly enjoyed that. He enjoys watching Turkish-language programs online and cooking, and he loves music. You'll often see him with his 'ears' on, completely enveloped in the sound.

One of Nick’s greatest triumphs is that he doesn't give up. Despite all of his early setbacks in life, he is so strong. Our vision is – and has always been – to build a small house on the farm, where he can have 24-hour support to carry out activities of daily living and receive any in-home services that he needs. In this way, he can continue to build familial bonds and feel productive, capable, and valued – and be in a place where he is loved. The time has come, and we urgently need funds to ensure a safe, permanent home for Nick. Thank you for your help - from Nick and all of us!

I have purchased a 60'x16' mobile home and had it transported to the farm.

Mobile Home and Transport $14000 ✓

Floor framing $2500 ✓

Tools, Hardware, Safety $1000 ✓

Interior and Exterior Doors $350 ✓

Windows throughout FREE ✓

Kitchen sink $50 ✓

Electric Heater $50 ✓

Rodent proofing FREE ✓

Insulation (Floor, walls, roof) ~ $3000

Additional Framing (adding a pitched roof for snow/rain) ~ $3000

Exterior sheathing and vapor barrier ~$2000

Local pine flooring from the mill ~$1000

Water Catchment and storage ~ $1000

Hot water heaters (1 for bath 1 for kitchen) ~$1000

Siding and trim (inexpensive pine) ~$5000

Roofing (metal so that we can use rainwater) ~ $5000

Water Collection and Storage system ~$1000

Paint (interior and exterior) ~ $500

Foundation blocks

Stove/Oven, Fridge

Kitchen Cabinets

Bathroom Sink, Shower

Composting Toilet

Tiles for Bath

Electric Wiring

Lighting