Last week, Home Horizon was able to formally announce completion of their Barbara Weider House expansion from six bedrooms to 10, which was made possible by provincial funding as well as help from various community partners and boosts through community fundraising efforts.
The announcement marked an end to a two-year process that saw the entire community come together.
Deb Piggott, fund development manager for Home Horizon, says the expansion will help the non-profit address the growing need for transitional housing and programming in Collingwood.
“The goal is to get (the youth) back out into the community to contribute in a positive way,” Piggott told CollingwoodToday.ca. “This (expansion) means we’re going to be able to serve more people. This place isn’t going anywhere, so we’re going to be able to do that for decades to come.”
“Homelessness is not going away,” she said.
In October 2020, the province announced the County of Simcoe would receive an additional $3.4 million in Phase 2 of the Social Services Relief funding to support homelessness services across the county.
Home Horizon’s Barbara Weider House received $334,800 in capital funding through the announcement, that would be used toward the youth transitional house expansion.
Youth living in the house were consulted on the new design. Multiple community groups also supported the expansion. For example, Alair Homes donated time, labour and some materials, while Sleep Country donated 10 new beds, sheets and duvets.
In addition to adding four new bedrooms, the renovation includes other upgrades including a dedicated community space for their Youth Outreach program. Security features were also added to the Barbara Weirder House, including fencing around the property to provide private outdoor green space and upgrades to their fire systems.
In recent months, Home Horizon has seen a 63 per cent increase in the demand for outreach services driven by a number of factors including the housing crisis and COVID-19.
“We have a significant number of programs,” said Piggott. “The outreach program has grown significantly throughout the pandemic. In six months, we had 580 service interactions in our community. It’s now become a permanent program.”
Currently, all 10 rooms at the house are occupied, and the house has a wait list of about 15 to 20 youth. The average length of stay for a youth is 18 months, but the program will allow them to stay for up to four years or until they turn 24, whichever comes first.
“Our intake and wait list is growing,” said Brittany Allcock, program supervisor. “Having those four additional bedrooms helps us to serve more clients. If we can keep four more off the street, that’s a huge win.”
For more information on Home Horizon, the Barbara Weider House and all the programs Home Horizon provides, click here.
Home Horizon's list of current needs includes: gift cards for places like Tim Hortons, Walmart or Pita Pit, new or gently used tents, kitchen knives, laundry soap (Tide pods), full-size hygiene products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash) as well as feminine hygiene products.
If you would like to donate any of these items, please contact Deb Piggott at [email protected].