
BROWN TRANS & QUEER ORCHID HOUSE FIRE RELIEF FUND
Today on 7/19/21, a fire started in a vacant home and spread to the neighboring homes burning two houses down where residents lost everything in the burn and barely made it out with their lives in West Oakland, California. (https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/fire-crews-battling-3-alarm-blaze-at-building-in-west-oakland/2598234/).
Orchid House was one of the homes and we are raising funds for 3 Brown Queer Trans and Nonbinary displaced folks. The fire alarm did not go off even while the house was engulfed in flames, so they are deeply blessed to have made it out alive. We are raising money for their housing security, insurance (health, car, and pets), food, gas, healing resources (therapy, herbal medicine, bodywork), shoes, clothing, and toiletries. They only have a secure space to stay for a week and after that are in need of permanent and affordable housing.
The funds will go directly to Zara they will then distribute the funds between Amal, Bellair, and other Queer Trans People of Color residents in West Oakland who have lost their homes to the fires based on their needs.
The funds from this fundraiser will go to paying for
-urgent and rapid response needs such as: temporary housing, hot meals, groceries, toiletries, and income lost as they are all not able to regularly attend work after the fire
-future long-term housing and rent payments
-car repairs for fire damage to Bellair’s vehicle, gas
-legal document replacement fees
-insurance (car, medical, and for their animals)
-HRT medicine, Homeopathic medicine for Chronic disability and mental illness
covering the losses of all personal items including: gender affirming clothing, shoes, wigs, & jewelry, trans affirming shapewear
materials for their work: laptop, art supplies, work clothes, shoes, technology chargers
-art supplies because all art that residents had created was lost
-kitchen items: pots, pans, microwave, plates, utensils, cooking utensils, toaster, cutting boards, cookware, knives, juicer, blender, groceries, spices, herbs, herbal medicine, teas, toiletries, furniture, towels, candles
-pet supplies and pet food
-house furniture: Mattresses, comforters, pillows, desk, table, lamps, couches, projector, televisions
-possible legal fees as tenants/subletters from their House being burnt
-mental health therapy, energy workers, and body healers
-replacing items lost overtime as ALL of their belongings were lost in the fire
GROUP NEEDS
Groceries
Hot Meal Drop Offs
Pet supplies and Food for Cat + Dog (Chundi + Peanut)
Options for long term housing for 5 people in Oakland / Bay Area, preferably a home
Toiletries (toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, soap, contact solution)
Legal Support and Links to Relief Funds Fire Victims of Burned Houses
LONG TERM HOUSING OPTIONS:
if you have any housing leads for any of the folks affected by the west oakland homes on fire please add them to:
HOUSING OPTIONS IN BAY AREA
FOR LEADS AND DONATIONS PLEASE MESSAGE US:
DM on mirrored fatality Instagram OR E-MAIL AT MIRROREDFATALITY AT GMAIL DOT COM
IF YOU'RE BASED IN BAY AREA / OAKLAND, CA & CAN DO DROP OFFS
CONTACT US FOR OUR MUTUAL AID DROP OFF SHEET
OR DONATE AT DIVINE OAKLAND
FROM 7/22 TO 7/24 3-9PM 322 10TH STREET OAKLAND, CA
Cashapp Option: $goeatmango --> will put all cashapp donations into this gofundme
Link to the gofundme for the neighbors, Andrea Wilson, Kwame Grant, & DeMarcello Funes: https://www.gofundme.com/f/oakland-black-homeowner-losing-everything-in-fire?utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer
Venmo: @Bellair
Bellairs Individual Go Fund Me Link
Bellair is a Brown Trans woman who is a DACA recipient and has worked full-time through this pandemic to financially support her mother, legal fees, health insurance for her transition and hormones, car insurance, rent, gender affirming clothing to feel safe, and therapy. Bellair is currently unable to work from the shock of the burned fire where she lost her work permit, immigration papers, and DACA card.
Bellair is raising funds for gender affirming surgery and immediate need of financial support to pay for replacement fees for her immigration paperwork, medical insurance for hormones and transitioning, to secure new housing, internal and external car repairs for her car which was damaged by the fire, and the holistic wellness resources to restart work and start her life from scratch after having worked so hard for years and losing everything. Bellair also needs Trans Woman affirming clothing Bellair needs trans femme shapewear and materials and her shoe size is 10, her dress and pants size is 9, and she wears a medium in shirts, tanks, and underwear.
Venmo: @youcandoithabibi
Amal is a nonbinary swana muslim trans-disciplinary artist who is currently unemployed and lost all their art supplies and everything they own except their dog Peanut and one bag. Their work is compromised without their art supplies, and they lost all future artist opportunities and all their created artwork.
They are in immediate need of: Herbal medicine, teas, tinctures for (trauma, grounding, soothing), plants, trauma medicine, CBD, crystals, altar items, cleansing and bodyworkers/ energy workers. They also need groceries, clothes, jewelry, and would appreciate donations from other artists. Their shoe size is 7.5 to 8 and clothing: medium/large, shirts, sweats, pants, for short people for 5”1. For Peanut they need: Dog food, dental care, and CBD pet treats.