New housing options for women and children in Kawartha Lakes

Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, January 12, 2023

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Doug Elmslie, Mayor of the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes announced a combined investment of approximately $3 million to support the development of a new transitional residence for women and children fleeing domestic abuse in Kawartha Lakes.

The Government of Canada is contributing over $1.4 million through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) and the Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes is providing $1.5 million in land and cash equity through a $500,000 capital campaign. The City of Kawartha Lakes is providing assistance with municipal fees towards the construction of the transitional apartment units.

Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes is converting a small church into six apartments for women and their children. To better support and build a stronger community, the organization will be providing a wide range of services to the tenants with the goal of providing safety and security for women. This includes dedicated support for women seeking help from abusive relationships, maintaining a safe place for women in need, and working together to empower and support women.

Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes is a not-for-profit, charitable organization that provides programs throughout the City of Kawartha Lakes to support abused women and their children.

Construction is set to be completed end of September 2023.

Quotes:

“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Creating a safe and supportive environment where mothers and children can heal and thrive is essential. This is why our government is providing funding to build and operate six new transitional housing units in Kawartha Lakes — in addition to the many others we have funded across Canada. These units will serve as sanctuaries for women and their children escaping family violence by providing them an opportunity to rebuild lives and gain independence with access to critical support services. This is our government’s National Housing Strategy at work.”
— The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

“We recognize the need of having this essential resource in our community to help support vulnerable women and children. It is fantastic to see this important initiative supported across various levels of government.”
— Michelle Corley, Human Services Manager, Housing, City of Kawartha Lakes

“We are so excited to be able to provide safe, affordable second stage housing to women and their children who have experienced gender based violence. For many years we provided this support at Amy’s Next Step housing in Fenelon Falls but feedback from women was that they needed housing more centrally located to resources. The new Logie Street location is ideally situated and will provide rent geared to income housing for up to six women and their children for a two year period. We could not do this without the generous support of CMHC, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and our community”
— Jane Chapman, Board Chair, Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes

Quick facts:

The National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) is a program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) that gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people living with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.
The Government of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $72 billion to give more Canadians a place to call home.

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC’s aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit: www.placetocallhome.ca.

Check out the National Housing Strategy Housing Funding Initiatives Map to see affordable housing projects that have been developed across Canada.

To learn more on the work of Family Violence Prevention Program in supporting Indigenous women, children, and Indigenous communities.