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Healthy Home Blog: Carbon-Monoxide and Home Safety

3/21/2023

 
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CARBON-MONOXIDE CAN BE DEADLY. BASIC AWARENESS AND MONITORING CAN PROTECT YOUR HEALTH AND HOME SAFETY.

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Carbon monoxide or CO is an invisible and odorless gas that is produced when any fuel is burned, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. This gas can come from sources such as oil furnaces, water heaters, space heaters, dryers, barbecue grills, car exhaust fumes, wood-burning stoves, gas ovens, and fireplaces. The threat of CO poisoning or death arises if any fuel-burning appliances malfunction.
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It is important to note that every year, about 170 people die from CO production in the United States alone (United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, n.d.). The effects of carbon monoxide can cause damage to the lungs and heart if inhaled. Initial symptoms of CO exposure present as headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. In severe cases, symptoms may progress to mental confusion, vomiting, loss of muscular function, unconsciousness, and even death. Those who are most at risk of long-term effects of carbon monoxide poisoning are children and the elderly.

Investing in a carbon monoxide detector is the first step towards reducing health risks related to CO. When installing a CO detector, it is crucial to check for a manual to fully understand how to operate the detector and ensure it is properly set up. The detector should be placed in an open area that is not covered by furniture or drapes and not near fuel-burning appliances. It is also recommended to test the batteries every few months and avoid using fuel-burning devices inside the house or being in a car, truck, or motorcycle in an enclosed area.
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If the CO detector goes off, the next steps to ensure safety are to go outside for fresh air, call emergency services, check to see if all persons are accounted for, and refrain from using the fuel-burning appliance that caused the issue until it has been properly fixed by a trained professional. Although there are many things to look out for, all of the steps are necessary to keep not only yourself but also others safe.

Reference: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. (n.d.). Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrieved February 17, 2023, from https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/carbon-monoxide/carbon-monoxide-fact-sheet

Winter 2022 Newsletter: We are guests in the home of fire and water: Interview with Roy Lee Hosteen

10/20/2022

 

From the Ground: We are Guests in the Home of Fire and Water 

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 RED FEATHER'S INTREPID LEADER OF THE 4-CORNERS WEATHERIZATION AND STOVE SWAP-OUT PROGRAM DISCUSSES HOW HE FOUND THIS PATH, WHAT IT MEANS TO CARE FOR HEARTH AND HOME, AND HOW TO KEEP THIS WORK GROWING IN COMMUNITY. 
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​Finding this path:
​“After I retired from my former life in the mining industry, I had daydreams where I thought it would be great to win the lottery and go out and help families. Just give them a hand, maybe even get them a new stove, or a roof. Just whatever they needed to give them that motivation that comes from getting a little help, getting a boost.
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‘That was my retirement daydream before joining Red Feather, but it sort of faded away. Then I interviewed with Red Feather, joined the team, and when we started working in homes again after COVID, that dream sort of came back to me. As far as becoming a millionaire, I didn’t get that part of my dream, but I got to the part of helping people, I’m just spending someone else’s money.  And when I realized that I had this moment of just “wow, the essence of my dream did come true”, so that was pretty exciting.
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​‘And I just keep thinking about the next family we are going to help. Because I’ve seen the benefits of what we do. I’ve helped people who were truly just scraping by, I’ve had clients come to me and say “we didn’t know how we were going to make it” and I’ve seen people just break down, just be so grateful because no one else was coming out to just give that little bit of help to get over a hump.

‘And then we started the 4-Corners Weatherization and Stove-Swap out Program, and we kept running into these issues for people, where they had a mold problem, or a stove leaking CO2, or bad water heater, and they wouldn’t qualify for weatherization because of this. So I went back to the team with this problem, and that’s when we approached NTEC (Navajo Transitional Energy Company). Their Community Benefit Fund gave us a grant specifically for this issue. So we had money to go in and fix these problems, help people pass their audits, and then get full weatherization on their homes or get new stoves.  When that happened, it was like “Wow- now we can get people what they really need.” 
It was phenomenal. Red Feather has been a lifeline to a lot of families. When I go out and see homes that are in need of service, I say “We are here to serve. We are here to help.”  That ‘we’ includes people from outside the reservation, from outside the community.
Keeping the Balance:
‘I immerse myself in this, in helping families. For awhile I got very immersed in it, it was even taking over my weekends, evenings, early mornings. When that happened I had to pull back a bit, so I could approach this program with the happy attitude it deserves, and not go down that road of over-working myself. Its easy to get so immersed when you are doing such important work. But now I really take the time to refresh myself. I don’t take calls after five. I need my own time. I need time with my wife. She is also a huge part of what makes it possible for me to do this work. Her support makes me able to do what I do.
Remembering the Motivation:
‘One of the reasons this work is so important to me, one of the things that drives me, is that my late uncle, he used to be a medicine man. He used to say, “We, we as human beings, we invite ourselves into the home of a fire.” Meaning that fire is the thing that stays in the house. Being human, having vehicles, we go here and there. But the fire doesn’t, it stays in the home keeping the house warm even while you are gone. It’s the hot water, the electricity, keeping everything working in the house. It is the same thing with water. It holds the home, and humans are just visitors into the homes of these two elements. This came from my elderly uncle, and he always said “just keep in mind that we are just visitors.” That just always stuck with me.
"We, we as human beings, we invite ourselves into the home of a fire.” Meaning that fire is the thing that stays in the house. Being human, having vehicles, we go here and there. But the fire doesn’t, it stays in the home keeping the house warm even while you are gone. 
Working with Fire and Ash:
‘How I see home is a place of fire. The idea of teaching families about their new woodstove, teaching them about how to get a clean burn, how to work with wood and smoke, it’s so rewarding. Some people just don’t have that perspective, or they think “Look, it’s just a fire, I didn’t think there was more too it.” But learning about woodstoves, how the wood burns, turns to gas, which is the smoke, and then burns again, to give us heat, this is alchemy. It requires knowledge and care. 

 ‘The same way with the ash. When we deliver new stoves I always ask people, “Where do you put your ash?” and I tell them, if they have kids or others dump the ash, to always make sure it goes in a proper place. Because I have seen situations where ash was taken out with embers still in it, and the wind got hold of it, and it set the house on fire. This has happened to several homes I know of. So this is one of those safety things that I always remind people about. We need to remember to tell our kids and grandchildren this. Same with stove safety and stove care. I always remind people not to burn trash, not to use cardboard to start the fire. Yes, it might not seem like it makes a difference at first, but if you treat your stove that way, it won’t work as well, it will break down. Its like taking care of a car. If you want it to continue to work for you, you have to do the maintenance. This is how we take care of the fire in the long term.


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​Creating Safety in Every Home:
‘I was a project manager in the mining industry, and when I retired, I kept that idea of “safety first always”. We live by that in the mining industry, and it is the same in this work and this program.
‘We are so lucky to have this contractor we are working with [for the 4-Corners Program]. They are just so amazing. Every home we go into they check for CO2 leaks, look for safety issues, check every appliance in the home. This is that “safety first” mentality, and its so important to everything we do.
‘When it comes to the old stoves I see, I mean, it’s a losing battle for a lot of people. Some of them are barely holding together, and that’s truly unsafe. So to get a new stove, and have everything there, the whole chimney kit, it’s a really amazing gift to be able to give people.


​How the Dream Grows:
‘I was talking to my nephew, and he said his brother-in-law fixes and cleans pellet stoves. So I said to him, “This would be a great business for him, because we have numerous clients who need their stoves cleaned out. If you get yourself certified, you could have a full business with this.” So employment for others, creating more jobs, that’s the broader circle. That’s the next dream, the next level of these concentric circles going outwards, Red Feather’s work expanding and making bigger change. And then it’s really having the tribal government, the tribe itself also join these efforts, see the importance of what we do and say “we will and are joining you in creating healthy homes for everyone on the reservation.”
When it comes to the old stoves I see, I mean, it’s a losing battle for a lot of people. Some of them are barely holding together, and that’s truly unsafe. So to get a new stove, and have everything there, the whole chimney kit, it’s a really amazing gift to be able to give people.
Joy in completing the work: 
‘What brings me the biggest joy around all of this? Sense of completion. Sense of completion for others. Something is done and done well.’
Download the full Newsletter

Emergence: 2021 Annual Report Letter from the Executive Director

8/31/2022

 
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2021 Annual Report: EMERGENCE
Letter From the Executive Director 

Full 2021 Annual Report
"We have witnessed the emergence of the human spirit and collective action that said we would not stand idly by and allow hardship to tear us down.  At Red Feather, we have witnessed the emergence of our programs, which now reach more people than in any years past."​
PictureJoe Seidenberg, Executive Director
COVID has brought death, division, and disruption across the entire world.  It has left a deep and lasting wound that will not quickly go away, especially for those who have lost loved ones, struggled with long-lasting physical ailments, or suffered economically. 

If you have followed our work and national media coverage, you know how deeply the pandemic has affected our partner communities. Sadly, this is another chapter in the centuries of hardships they have endured.  Without a lengthy narration about the impacts of colonialism and the vastitudes of continued oppression, one may ask when their suffering will be enough.

However, if we maintain such a perspective, we miss our chance to highlight the Hopi and Navajo people's incredible innovation, fortitude, and spirit.  Call it cliché, but without sadness, we cannot know happiness; without darkness, we cannot know light.  That is why we have chosen emergence as the theme for this year’s annual report.   Since the pandemic’s beginning, we have witnessed the emergence of governments, community groups, nonprofits, and individuals delivering millions of dollars in supplies and services to those in need across our partner communities. We have witnessed the emergence of the human spirit and collective action that said we would not stand idly by and allow hardship to tear us down. 

At Red Feather, we have witnessed the emergence of our programs, which now reach more people than in any years past.  Increased financial support has allowed us to invest in organizational systems to improve the effectiveness of our programs and ensure we are making sound investments in our work.  We are also leveraging our growing reputation of integrity and expertise to gather in solidarity with partners to collectively develop and deploy strategies for resolving locally identified housing needs.

​ As we look to the future, we remain optimistic and hopeful that our partner communities and organizations will continue to emerge from the challenges that weigh us down.  We continue to uphold Red Feather’s vision of a healthy world as an emerging model for others to follow--a world where affordable and safe housing is available to all and where we are all inspired to work collectively to create self-sustaining communities. We hope you enjoy reading about the success of our efforts and extend our sincerest appreciation for the continued trust and support in our work.  

From our house to yours,

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​Joe Seidenberg
Executive Director 
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full 2021 Annual Report
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Spring 2022 Newsletter: Elizabeth speaks on finding the Celebration, the Care and the Power in Our Work

6/8/2022

 

From the Ground: Recentering, Homes and Deeper Healing 

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Red Feather Program Coordinator Elizabeth Freeman speaks on the power of re-centering, the need to celebrate success, incorporating education into everything we do, and when a home assessment is so much more than a home assessment. 
'Since we’ve grown our Direct Solutions program, which provides a limited budget for home repair materials for families across both Hopi and Navajo, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of calls and applications. It’s been exciting but it’s also been a lot! Remembering the big picture is essential for me when I get overwhelmed with the amount of demand we are facing, or the amount of calls that come in during the day. People are facing a lot, and this is our way of doing something immediately, of meeting immediate need. The growing of the Direct Solutions program is intended to be that, and in so many ways it is succeeding.

​'Acknowledging and celebrating that re-centers me.
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'Despite the struggles, we are doing so much good work. I mean, we are really doing SO MUCH, reaching so many homes. And sometimes, in the constant drive to do more, we don’t always take the time to stop and spotlight and celebrate what we are doing, which is so important. Because we are reaching a lot of people. When you are as dedicated as we are to trying to help and to serve, it can be overwhelming to come in in the mornings and just see ‘Oh, I have 30 missed calls and 50 new emails’ but the power is in realizing that these are all people we are reaching and people that will be helped.

'I’m a big believer in stopping to recognize accomplishments and celebrate them. The truth is that Red Feather has grown a lot and is doing amazing work, so let’s acknowledge and get joy out of that too, while also recognizing that of course there will always be more work to do.
'I don’t think anyone should undersell what they’ve managed to overcome or succeed at, and that goes for both our employees and those that we serve. People just need to hear “You are doing fantastic!” and this can start a positive cycle of encouragement and self-belief.  As we are focusing on meeting these immediate physical needs in the home through our Direct Solutions program, there’s this other side too of just making sure people feel seen and acknowledged. I think this is something we all need.

'When we are in the field a lot, we have to focus on the negative aspects. When you are doing home assessments, you have to look for what is wrong in the home in order to find what is most needed. So this sort of negative focus has to be there, and especially when you are working in communities with endemic poverty and centuries of oppression and trauma, sometimes it’s easy to see only that, to stay in the negative, to just be in the thought process of “how did people get to this point?”

'But there is such a powerful mindset switch we can do too. Like yes, when we are doing home assessments we focus on the negative, but there is also space for the positive in our interactions.
'This is where our education programs come in, because there is a space for change and hope and possibility when people have life tools and not just home fixes. Knowledge cannot be taken away from you. There are so many types of education too, you don’t have to have a degree to gain knowledge.
'At Red Feather, what we want to do is also provide a pathway to the power of knowing that you can take care of yourself. I think that there are many layers to things, and yes its great to have your home fixed, to have heating, to get these needs met, but then there is the deeper emotional level, also the emotional healing, that can come from a feeling of "I can take care of myself."

'This is how I see our programs coming together. We all have a hierarchy of needs. With the Direct Solutions program, and also our HHESI and other home repair programs, we target that base layer on Maslow's pyramid.  We all need a home, we need somewhere to sleep, somewhere safe to be, to be warm. Of course we all need that.

'But I don’t want to just leave someone with a healthy home kit and call it a day. We are trying to leave people with something that they can use, that they can pass on to the next generation, that can have a longer-lasting impact.

'I mean, look, we are trying to address this major, age-old housing crisis on the Hopi and Navajo reservation. That’s what Red Feather is here for. But how can we move from just immediate crisis response to preparation, to prevention? I think that incorporating education, financial literacy, all of it, into everything we do is key.

'It is my intention and hope that people pass this all on to their kids, that we can all become better examples, that the next generation has something more to work with.

'My hope is that I can give people the tools, the resources, so that when tough situations come up they have something to throw at that, to address that. We are working on this as a key aspect of our programs at Red Feather all the time.

'People’s actions reflect their mindset and their current emotional state. There’s always a reason for why people are in the situation that they’re in. We all express our needs in different ways. We don’t always know what people have gone through, but we are all human. Having one’s needs be ignored is a kind of neglect. 
At its most basic what we do at Red Feather is try to see people’s needs, to make sure that people know we are seeing them. That they’ve been noticed, that someone cares, that they’ve been heard.
'It might seem simple, like we just provided someone with a smoke alarm, fixed their window, gave them a safer stove, but in this context of deep historical and cultural trauma, what I think this can also give, or at least I hope this can also give, is a sense that at least someone saw me today, cared about the situation I was in. At least, if no one else did today, Red Feather saw that need and tried to do something, cared, was there to be present.'
Download the Spring 2022 Newsletter

We're Looking for a Construction Manager!

4/27/2022

 
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Red Feather is hiring a full-time (40 hours per week) Construction Project Manager (CM) based in Flagstaff, Arizona. The position requires frequent travel (50-70% of scheduled hours) to work sites across the Hopi and Navajo Nations. The CM will report to the Red Feather Executive Director and will work closely with the other staff members, government agencies, subcontractors, homeowners, and community partners.
Download Job Description and Application Instructions

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© 2023 Red Feather Development Group ​​
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:​ The Red Feather program office sits in an area that is sacred to over 14 local tribes, including the Diné, Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai, Zuni, Pueblo, and Kaibab-Paiute peoples. Some of these nations are represented among the Red Feather staff, and some not. We humbly acknowledge this area’s Indigenous nations, original stewards and Native descendants who will forever know this place as home. We share a responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, cultures, and histories that make up our community. *Adapted from the Flagstaff City Council land acknowledgement developed by the Indigenous Commission
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