A Toronto design team is working hard on a new project.
It’s called Design for Hope – an initiative that brings everyone together to fully redesign a home for a family in need.
“We have three adult boys now, a 24-year-old and twins with Autism, – they’re 22 years old,” said homeowner Mark Nikolic. “Their Autism certainly is a limiting factor, and so is their level of development.”
The project led by Stacey Cohen of Stacey Cohen Design with the support of 75 trades, vendors and volunteers all donating their time, skills and resources to help a deserving family like the Nikolic’s. The family is experiencing hardships and are in desperate need of a safe and functional place to call home.
“We’re so badly in debt that we don’t have a life. This is our life,” said Hilary Nikolic. “We don’t go out and we’ve never been on vacation.”
“Well, there was that time we were on our honeymoon,” Mark said.
The twins are non-verbal and the severity of their symptoms have resulted in many damages to their home. The couple has spent all of their savings to ensure the boys get the care they need. They’ve also refinanced their home a number of times to pay for services and repairs to keep their home livable.
“We’re going to demolish the entire interior, strip it down and basically start from scratch. There are obviously a lot of restrictions and things we need to consider because of the boys severe form of Autism,” Cohen said.
The Design for Hope team plans to have the 1,500 square foot renovation completed by Christmas 2018.
“If we can help the Nickolic family get through their day to day just a little bit easier and they have a home where they feel comfortable and safe, then I think this project will be a success,” Cohen said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help raise the necessary funds.