For Immediate Release
There was an early-evening fire last night in a room at the Tower at the Inn of Waterloo where our shelter program was located. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. House of Friendship had 130 individuals staying at the hotel. They were relocated to a hotel in Guelph, and the individuals who were in isolation went to St. Mary’s Hospital to continue quarantine.
“What never ceases to amaze me is the way so many community partners and emergency responders engaged immediately to successfully care for and relocate all of these individuals last night,” said House of Friendship Executive Director John Neufeld. “Likewise, I am incredibly proud of our Shelter staff who responded to this incident with outstanding compassion, leadership and nimble problem-solving.”
Together with our partners through the Region of Waterloo and Inner City Health Alliance, House of Friendship continues to support these people through this transition — individuals who already have complex health needs and now have to face more adversity.
House of Friendship would like to thank the team at the Inn of Waterloo for being so welcoming since last October. We are also incredibly thankful for the amazing outpouring of support we are receiving from supporters, community leaders and partners as they heard the news.
Our focus now is ensuring Shelter participants and staff have the support they need. When we have more details, we will confirm next steps. In the meantime, please continue to visit our website, at www.houseoffriendship.org, for future updates as they become available.
For more information, contact Margaret Lucas, Development Director, at 519-742-8327 x 122 | MargaretL@houseoffriendship.org or John Neufeld, Executive Director, at 519-742-8327 x 123 | JohnN@houseoffriendship.org
