I’m Ngozi, and am raising money for my good friend Dudley Vaccianna. Dudley’s apartment caught fire a few weeks ago, and now he has no permanent place to live or work.

Dudley’s landlord is the same landlord who owned the building in the Bronx that caught fire and killed 19 people earlier this year. The landlord has refused to find a replacement apartment for Dudley, and is requiring Dudley to move things out of the apartment before the landlord begins repairs.

Neither the apartment nor the building had smoke or fire alarms, so while Dudley ran to ask his neighbors to call the fire department, his home burned extensively. When the fire department arrived, their hose got stuck, so they got a different hose, taking even more time to get to his apartment.

Many of Dudley’s artwork was damaged in the fire, and he has no way to create new work or sell anything to make money; the remaining art is in his apartment that the fire department has condemned. Even so, Dudley goes to the apartment to clean and salvage whatever he can, even boarding up his own windows.

Dudley is an amazing person and artist, who has helped so many people. He has lived in the apartment for 42 of his 77 years, and needs your help with living expenses, storage fees, and hiring movers and helpers. Brooklyn Legal Services has tried to contact his landlord, who is avoiding responsibility.