House Fire Relief

Dear friends, family, and kind strangers,

On the evening of Wednesday, May 28th, my cousin and her family had a devastating fire at their home in Hamilton, ON. The fire began in the garage, and despite her husband's brave efforts to stop it, it spread too quickly.

I am incredibly grateful that Katy, James, their son Greyson, and their beloved dog Scout all made it out safely and without serious injury (James suffered some minor burns on his hand when he tried to put the fire out upon discovering it). Unfortunately, almost everything else was a loss - either destroyed or too smoke damaged to save. Their home needs to be completely gutted. They have spent countless hours over the last month emptying the house of their belongings to save on costs that would otherwise come out of their insurance payout. They have been staying in an Airbnb for the last month, and are in the process of moving into an apartment for the year. The rebuild is estimated to take 6-8 months, but they aren't sure when it will start. While the house is being rebuilt, they will still need to cover their regular monthly expenses of their damaged home (mortgage, property tax, condo fees, etc.) on top of their new living expenses (which insurance will partially cover).

To make matters even more difficult, because the investigation into the fire was unable to determine a cause, making it 'no fault', they are responsible for paying their condo corporation's $50,000 deductible. Insurance has informed them that they only cover half of the deductible, leaving them with the remaining $25,000 to pay themselves. This unexpected financial burden comes at an already heartbreaking time.

We're hoping to raise enough to help them bridge this gap. Any amount you can give will go directly to the family. If you're not in a position to donate, simply sharing this message would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you for supporting Katy, James, Greyson, and Scout as they begin the long road to rebuilding their lives.