The Goal:

To set up a foster home Gerlach, Nevada by purchasing a property up for sale in the frontier town. Each dollar raised will go towards repairs, replacing missing appliances, and renovations needed to meet the special needs of the Hubler family. Money raised past the initial goals will help them make a more attractive offer, allow them to complete renovations faster, and provide more to future foster children.

Who are the Hublers?

Taylor and Melina Hubler are a loving and creative couple that have enjoyed 17 years of marriage. Life’s adventure brought them to Gerlach, NV in 2021, where they currently live with their autistic 6 year old son they loving nick-name Bug. Bug loves dinosaurs, mischief, and climbing everything. Taylor is the local school’s bus driver, a job that he loves and hopes to do until the heat death of the universe. He also works for a local RPG distributor, and is a published author and game designer. Melina also works for the local school as a teacher’s aide, where she works with the pre-K children and those with special needs. Melina also worked as an award winning baker for 15 years at Sweet Elena’s Bakery in Sand City, CA, a job she still privately keeps up on by selling cakes to the Gerlach community members.

Taylor and Melina also have worked together caring for those with special needs and developmental disabilities, and adopted Bug after fostering him. They hope one day to return to fostering special needs children, provide spaces for the community to gather at, and do all they can to make the world a better place for everyone.

The Hublers ask that everyone respect the decision to keep Bug’s real name and unedited image from the public. Bug is a loved member of the community, and recently has become a local cyptid while going on walks with his family in his inflatable dinosaur costume. Everything that can be done to protect him will keep dinosaur sightings in Gerlach going for years.

Gerlach, Where’s That?

Gerlach, Nevada is a small frontier community in the Black Rock Desert, with an emphasis on frontier. Located 80 miles from the nearest services, this town has about 150 year-round residents that love to live with dark skies and raw nature around them. A piece of land coming up for sale is a rare opportunity. A single family home on a half-acre lot for sale is almost unheard of. What’s worse, property for sale often gets snatched up by land speculators or those looking for a once-a-year vacation home. Gerlach is the closest community to the Burning Man event, making the town an ideal location for those looking to own a vacation home and storage site close to the festival. This means that it is difficult for locals to put down roots and own property.

The Hubler’s are looking at buying a specific property that has recently gone onto the market. It is a single family home in the heart of the small town with a sizable yard. There is fear in the community that it will end up being sold to someone from the outside with no desire to help or be a part of the town culture and community. The Hublers have been encouraged by multiple community members to do all they can to purchase the home, but they can’t do it without your help.

What it would mean to this family?

It would change everything for the better. Taylor and Melina have finally found a community they want to be a part of for the rest of their lives. The family is currently renting and living on a property that does not meet the needs of their autistic child, which was breifly hazardous this spring, and which has multiple issues due to past neglect. There are circumstances with the rental property that make it difficult for the Hubler’s to address issues, and which restrict the autonomy they need for their special needs.

The new home would allow them that autonomy and flexibility. It would allow them to adapt the house to Bug as he develops, and would provide him safe boundaries to climb, explore, and play within. It would also allow them to set up the home to meet the requirements of any potential foster youth with special needs. The quality of life for all involved would be greatly improved.

The property also has a sizable garage that Taylor could set up a workshop in. Taylor grew up in his father’s metal art studio and fabrication shop. Having recently lost his father, Taylor would finally have a space to make art to honor him, add to the beauty of the town, and provide more art to the world. It would allow him to also use an anvil he inherited, which has been passed down through four generations of his family.

Melina would have a space to set up her crafts room, where she could sew, sculpt, and be a maker for her family and the community.

Lastly, it would allow Melina to adapt the home to better manage her chronic pain. Examples of this include installing handrails in the bathroom and replacing stairs with ramps.

Essentially, it would change everything for this family.

What would it mean to the community?

This isn’t just about how this would benefit the Hublers. This purchase would greatly benefit the small community.

A local family owning this property would mean a great deal to everyone in Gerlach. Not only would it keep a property out of the hands of speculators that have kept local lots empty, it would prevent seasonal festival goers from using the lot as storage for the Burning Man event. This property has been used for wiffleball games for years now, something that has brought the community together. It has also been a part of the Gerlach Pub Crawl tradition, where local garages are turned into impromptu speakeasies and hang out spots where locals migrate from one to another. The Hubler’s are willing to keep these great community events alive at this property.

It may also help the community by providing a little extra housing to those who need it here. If we can fundraise enough, the Hublers would be able to explore putting an accessory unit on the property, in the form of a tiny home. This would not only provide additional income to help pay the mortgage but would provide dignified shelter to someone who is affected by the lack of housing in the area.

Lastly, but most importantly, the Hublers used to be foster parents before they moved to Gerlach. A home would give them the tools they need to pursue that once again, and provide a home for local youth if there is ever a need, or a home to special needs children in the county should they have what is needed to adapt the property to that purpose.

(If you are a local to Gerlach, please do not inquire at this time about potential housing in the aforementioned tiny home. It isn’t known how possible that plan is and there is no way to know what promises can be kept until experts in county code and processes are consulted.)

What are they asking from you?

First, if you think this is a worthy cause, please share this campaign everywhere that you can. The more people we can get this campaign out in front of, the more likely we will succeed.

Second, please donate. The initial goal of $10,000 will allow the Hubler's to take burdens off of the seller in their offer, and will cover repairs, renovations, and replacing appliances that are missing in the home. Those renovations and repairs will ensure the property passes inspections needed to turn it into a foster home. Removing the financial burden to cover those things from the seller means their offer is more attractive. Any amount raised beyond that will allow the Hublers to do more towards turning the property into a sanctuary for special needs children and foster youth.

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for support. Updates to come, so please keep checking in!