Friendship Village:
BUILDING A PLACE TO BELONG
Imagine what it’s like to be homeless.
Imagine jumping from shelter to shelter over the past year, or having to live in your car. The uncertainty, the confusion, the feelings of loneliness.
Now, imagine finally finding a safe place to call home. Imagine what it’s like to not only have an apartment of your own, but a dedicated team focused on providing the kind of support you need. You can finally do more than survive. You can thrive.
That’s the difference that Friendship Village, our supportive housing and community hub, will make for people – it will have the power to change lives for the better. And you can be part of this story!
Friendship Village will bring together thoughtful building design with strategic, evidence-based care. This innovative approach will help change lives for the better and is a critical step to break the cycle of homelessness.
We know it takes more than a roof or affordable rent to change a life. At Friendship Village, healthcare and wraparound supports are an essential component – helping individuals get healthier, staying housed for the long term.
You can be part of this lasting solution and transformational approach to ending homelessness in Waterloo Region.
Building Change: The Project
The initial phase will provide approximately 100 new supportive housing units – homes with built-in, onsite supports – for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. A second, later phase, will add 70 affordable housing units, for at total of 170 new homes.
Friendship Village will serve as a “village” or community hub for residents; a place where they can truly belong and thrive.
This, coupled with on-site health, mental health and addiction supports, will ensure that residents gain stability and strength, working on their own, unique goals for a better future.
Supportive Housing Participants - In Their Own Words
Click the link above to learn more about Sue – her journey from homelessness to our supportive housing, where she finally found a place to belong.
“It’s just so good to have someone to talk to, to get some of the tough stuff out, so you can kind of function the next few days. It makes a difference to know someone is there to support you, that you aren’t alone.”
– Denise, Supportive Housing resident, after moving from shelter to House of Friendship’s Supportive Housing.
“Living at House of Friendship Supportive Housing really builds a strong community. And community is the one thing that has made the most difference for me, because that’s how you keep going.”
– Peter, Supportive Housing resident, living with bipolar disorder
To learn more about Friendship Village, our supportive housing and community hub, or find out how you can help bring this exciting vision to life, please contact Development Director Natalie Schill at natalies@houseoffriendship.org, or 519-742-8327 x 122.
CRA Charity #10749-3892-RR0001