Help the fire victims at 50 Mercer
Donation protected
Early in the morning on April 29 fire broke out at our neighbour's apartment building at 50 Mercer Street leaving Jami Ruff, his young family and three people in two other units homeless.
While the Red Cross has been able to offer them each three nights of accommodation, they now have nowhere to go.
In addition to replacing belongings damaged by smoke and water, their expenses include hotel bills, time off work, moving expenses, and higher rents in their new homes.
Watching Ruff and his family navigate the system is a hair raising experience. Each day they wonder where they will be able to find an affordable new home, somewhere to stay in the in term, how they will be able to pay their $1000 insurance deductible and how long it will be before their expenses go above their insurance. Even ensuring their 8-year-old daughter, Charleigh, makes it to school each day through the chaos is a challenge.
The only thing worse is thinking about the other residents. Two are newcomers to Canada with no insurance, and the other remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries, also with no insurance.
We are hoping to raise $4,000 to cover the costs of setting the newcomer family (permission to publish their names is still pending) in a new apartment and replace their damaged belongings. Another $4000 would go towards helping the hospitalized lady with her needs, and a further $2000 would help Jami Ruff and his family pay their deductible, anything not covered by their insurance, and first and last with a likely higher rent elsewhere.
Please help with any amount you can, as soon as you can. The hotel bills are adding up daily, rents aren't cheap in Guelph and it could be over a month before they find a permanent home.
While the Red Cross has been able to offer them each three nights of accommodation, they now have nowhere to go.
In addition to replacing belongings damaged by smoke and water, their expenses include hotel bills, time off work, moving expenses, and higher rents in their new homes.
Watching Ruff and his family navigate the system is a hair raising experience. Each day they wonder where they will be able to find an affordable new home, somewhere to stay in the in term, how they will be able to pay their $1000 insurance deductible and how long it will be before their expenses go above their insurance. Even ensuring their 8-year-old daughter, Charleigh, makes it to school each day through the chaos is a challenge.
The only thing worse is thinking about the other residents. Two are newcomers to Canada with no insurance, and the other remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries, also with no insurance.
We are hoping to raise $4,000 to cover the costs of setting the newcomer family (permission to publish their names is still pending) in a new apartment and replace their damaged belongings. Another $4000 would go towards helping the hospitalized lady with her needs, and a further $2000 would help Jami Ruff and his family pay their deductible, anything not covered by their insurance, and first and last with a likely higher rent elsewhere.
Please help with any amount you can, as soon as you can. The hotel bills are adding up daily, rents aren't cheap in Guelph and it could be over a month before they find a permanent home.
Organizer
Holly Jones
Organizer
Guelph, ON
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