The Elevated Studio Inc.

“The organization does not have any committees with authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“The prepared form 990 is reviewed and approved by the executive direct/president before the return is filed with the IRS.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“Our Mission: THE ELEVATED STUDIO PROMOTES SOCIAL EQUITY BY EXPANDING ACCESS TO SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE DESIGN THAT HELPS COMMUNITIES ACHIEVE ECONOMIC AND PHYSICAL RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY. Our Vision: We believe that every member of a community should have access to and benefit from socially-responsible design. We believe that social, economic, and physical resilience and sustainability are intertwined and within reach to all. We educate the property owner, and empower those directly affected to make wise and appropriate decisions towards their environment. We educate design and construction professionals, and empower those who are trained to lead a community towards excellence. We cooperate, communicate, coordinate, and collaborate with like-minded agencies, sharing ideas to create a larger network of professionals to support the communities that we work in. We engage government agencies, promoting the ideas generated by the residents and businesses of their jurisdiction that aim to implement the desires and needs of the community. Our goal is to renegotiate the relationship between residents and their neighborhood with the built and natural environment in a timeless way. We seek a solution that employs education and collaboration to elevate community after community to achieve equality.”

“We believe that every member of a community should have access to and benefit from socially-responsible design. We believe that social, economic, and physical resilience and sustainability are intertwined and within reach to all. We educate the property owner, and empower those directly affected to make wise and appropriate decisions towards their environment. We educate design and construction professionals, and empower those who are trained to lead a community towards excellence. We cooperate, communicate, coordinate, and collaborate with like-minded agencies, sharing ideas to create a larger network of professionals to support the communities that we work in. We engage government agencies, promoting the ideas generated by the residents and businesses of their jurisdiction that aim to implement the desires and needs of the community. Our goal is to renegotiate the relationship between residents and their neighborhood with the built and natural environment in a timeless way. We seek a solution that employs education and collaboration to elevate community after community to achieve equality.”

“After most disasters, there is a large disparity between those individuals who have financial means, and those that do not. Those that do, start and end their recovery quickly, typically within 18 months, post-event. These individuals tend to gain over $85,000 in wealth. The wealthy can quickly retain the services of an attorney, architect and contractor to expedite their recovery. This speed of recovery expands the socio-economic gap for affected populations. Conversely, those families that do not have the economic means to retain professional services, take 3-5 times as long, and lose approximately $20,000 in wealth. This gap is becoming wider and wider with each and every disaster. Especially when there is a repetitive loss in the county where the disaster occurs. This program empowers the disadvantaged property owners and occupants to not only better their own world, but the neighborhood and community that they reside in. The knowledge that they are armed with provides the individual with the ability to become their own ambassador and an advocate for their community, for environmental and resilience concerns at the grassroots level. From here, those residents who have attended our educational programs see a significant increase in how they look at their own impact on the environment, and how their actions impact the neighborhood they live in.REDC is the first phase of our recovery program for both individuals and communities. In this program, we provide Community Design Workshops, Rebuilding Assessments, Rebuilding Clinics, Educational Forums and Disaster Case Management. The Elevated Studio's aim is to bridge the gap between the social service and the reconstruction process by forging strong collaborations between long-term recovery groups, disaster case management professionals, and design professionals; setting the stage to provide a holistic and inclusive community and survivor-centric recovery. The REDC program is based on three important values: * Design Innovation * Enhancing Resilience * Strengthening Community Design Innovation: The REDC program draws on the applied creativity, inspiration and energy of our team to put together great teams and create great designs. While our events are hosted by us, we invite many recovery professionals to volunteer their time to give support and technical advice. Having many minds working on the same problem leads to innovative solutions. Enhancing Resilience: Resilience requires an understanding of a community and appropriate building methods and designs that will address future concerns in a comprehensive manner. REDC's home design options and community workshops demonstrate and engage residents in understanding how their home will be able to withstand future hazards, thereby enhancing long term livability. Strengthening Community: Too many communities are vulnerable to the effects of disasters due to inadequate safety measures in the built environment and a lack of technical understanding. We provide the training, technical expertise, and networks necessary for local architects to provide the leadership necessary to strengthen their communities.”