By Cecilia Nasmith
Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre and Habitat For Humanity Northumberland have announced their partnership in the Hope Grows Second Stage Pilot Project.
With the acquisition of two homes in Northumberland County from Habitat, Cornerstone has launched the project to focus on providing safe, affordable accommodation for short periods of time as clients rebuild and plan for their next steps.
Habitat originally purchased the two homes with an eye to renovating them to accommodate additional families in the future. However, with their 2023-2024 building projects already planned and under way, Habitat knew they would sit empty for at least a year. In the meantime, these homes offer a unique opportunity to create much-needed rental housing for the short term.
Cornerstone is now leasing the housing units to facilitate this second-stage program that will house eight additional individuals or family members – and also keep clients engaged in service where staff can provide emotional support, safety planning and referrals.
In the announcement, Habitat Executive Director Meaghan Macdonald said that the partnership is part of their overall strategic plan to have a greater impact on the county's housing crisis.
“We are consciously focusing on partnerships with more individuals and organizations to increase our impact when it comes to ensuring that community members are safely housed,” Macdonald said.
“Our vision as an organization is to ensure that everyone has a decent place to live, and this partnership is one of the projects that can help us in our efforts to achieve that vision.”
Cornerstone Executive Director Nancy Johnston said they are excited to be part of this project.
“To be able to co-ordinate and deliver programs and services of this kind is a privilege, and will have a great impact on the organization and our clients,” Johnston stated.
“Working with Habitat to find alternative housing solutions is something we are proud of, and allows us to foster relationships and work collectively for greater impact.”
