Dear kin & community:

I’m reaching out to ask for your support.

As of today, I am new the owner and steward of a beautiful 5-acre piece of land along the banks of Widzin Kwah, about 20 minutes outside of Smithers. Six weeks ago, an opportunity arose to purchase this property, which is beyond my wildest dreams of a place I might one day call home. It happened incredibly fast and took all my financial resources to secure, and everything in me knows this is where I am meant to be.

As many of you know, the journey to rebuilding my homebase has been a bumbling road, filled with many challenging trails and excellent adventures over the last 10+ years. In taking this next step, I am beyond excited and humbled to be building my life beside the river that has been so central to my journey of returning home to the north and re-rooting my life in the place that raised me.

The good (great) news – there is a beautiful off-grid cabin! While another version of myself might be up for the true cabin in the woods experience, my work commitments and desired lifestyle beget a few more comforts (like running water and power). To make this cabin livable by winter, I plan to install a simple water system (cistern + river water) and a small solar system, as well as make a few adjustments to the cabin to support full time living. My anticipated budget to make this happen before snow flies is around $40,000.

The not so good news – because this property is technically vacant land, the bank required a large down payment, which rather dramatically depleted my coffers. So, I am reaching out to the grownups in my life to ask for a little financial help to kickstart my building costs this summer, the remainder of which I will secure through an additional loan.

Though my immediate needs are centered around making this place livable for myself, it is important to me to share that my vision for this property extends far beyond my own need for a home. My intention is to create and share this place with my queer kin and community, both locally and a far, who face numerous barriers to accessing this type of resource. I want you to know that your support is a seed that will germinate and grow into a home and space for many more than just myself.

And while I wish so deeply that my mum and dad could be along for this journey, I am hoping that you can all help fill a bit of their roles. Not only financially, but practically, emotionally, and spiritually. I welcome and ask for your hands and hearts as I figure out how to install solar panels, plumb a shower, and start a garden from scratch—cause I sure know Tom and Siona would be swinging a hammer and digging in the dirt with me. So please, come hammer some nails, swim in the river, and perhaps contribute a few bucks, if you can.

With love and gratitude,

Kelsey