DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard
KAWARTHA LAKES: The Ontario provincial government is helping fund the renovation and expansion of ‘A Place Called Home’ in Lindsay. On Tuesday, October 27th, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott announced the City of Kawartha Lakes will receive $1,750,249 from Phase 2 of the province’s Social Services Relief Fund, for a renovation on the local homeless shelter.
“The renovation includes building a new 19 bed shelter, along with 5 new affordable housing units, one 4-bedroom house and four 1-bedroom apartments,” a press release from Ms. Scott’s office explained.
In the press release, Ms. Scott stressed the importance of this project during a pandemic.
“Investing in important housing projects like this is critical to help protect our most vulnerable citizens from COVID-19,” she stated. “We’re working closely with our community partners to ensure they have the resources and space to help keep people safe during these difficult and unprecedented times.”
David Tilley, Interim Executive Director of A Place Called Home, said the funding and the renovation project will provide “stability and increased safety for both our staff and residents.”
“For the past six months, we have been assisting clients through local motels, as our current shelter is unable to accommodate the demands created by the pandemic. This investment will create a strong foundation, and provide a launching pad that will result in a new purpose-built shelter and better service to the homeless of the City and County. Our agency is extremely thankful to both the Province and Municipality for their ongoing support,” he said in the press release.