Senior Housing Manager Jessica Grabowski enjoying a sneak peak inside Friendship Village.
Friendship Village is taking shape in downtown Kitchener, joining our current supportive and affordable housing buildings, Charles Village and Eby Village.
We’re so excited to share with you an update on Friendship Village, our new Supportive Housing and Community Hub!
The first phase of this new build, which will be home to 100 community members experiencing homelessness, is rapidly taking shape, with multiple floors already in place, making for an impressive view while driving down Charles Street.
When complete, Friendship Village will provide deeply affordable housing with onsite resources, including one-on-one support with a personal support worker, onsite healthcare and counselling, along with community resources like The Food Bank of Waterloo Region’s mobile food hamper.
As many of the new residents will have recently been homeless, the program will also be designed to build community and connection, and help residents relearn valuable life skills like cooking and laundry, helping them become increasingly independent over time.
“We are trying to learn from our ShelterCare model, and apply the same kind of supports for our residents,” said Jessica Grabowski, Senior Housing Manager. “I’m excited to see the lives that will be changed, and how we can have a lasting impact on our community. We’ll be doing really interesting things with onsite healthcare, and other supports. I’m interested to see whether this can be the ‘gold standard’ for addressing homelessness and replicated in other communities.”
Construction work will continue through to next fall. When complete, the building will also be home to House of Friendship’s administrative offices. Thank you for your ongoing support that ensures that essential projects like Friendship Village can become a reality. Through your care and concern, you are joining a community of supporters who want to change the story around homelessness in Waterloo Region – thank you!
To stay up-to-date on Friendship Village, please visit www.houseoffriendship.org/friendshipvillage.
