When Meghety first came to Canada, she found it hard to find a place to belong. If you met Meghety today, all you would see is her wonderful smile. She would tell you how much she loves visiting her favorite place in the world, at our Sunnydale Community Centre. But it wasn’t that long ago […]
Fresh, affordable food isn’t easy to come by these days – and it’s doubly challenging when you are trying to make ends meet with very limited income. That thought was the inspiration behind the Neighbourhood Summer Market, now in its second year at Centreville-Chicopee Community Centre. The program, funded in part by the “Love My […]
Mike Kirkup likes to solve problems. Mike came to Waterloo Region as a University of Waterloo computer science student in 1996 and has spent his entire career working in the tech community, including Research in Motion, as well as his current role as Chief Technology Officer at EnPowered. And through all of these years, there […]
A key priority for House of Friendship’s ShelterCare program is to provide a sense of community and belonging for participants. One way this is happening is through recreational programming. On any given day, participants can choose from art and craft activities, a games night, or even bingo. There is even a pet therapy dog who […]
Karina and her husband Jose came to Canada in search of a better life for their children, Elian (11) and Isaac (9). They just didn’t realize how expensive everything would be. While Jose had a good job at a landscaping company, everything in Canada cost more than their home country of Mexico – from housing […]
Tony Bender has a long history with house of Friendship. Over the years, Tony has done everything from creating recreational programs at our former Shelter, to running a busy Emergency Food Hamper program. And while Tony’s career at House of Friendship spanned nearly four decades, it all started very humbly – as a volunteer for […]
This September, we had a party at Sunnydale Community Centre in Waterloo, celebrating the 25 years of community and connection that you’ve made possible, through your faithful support. Linda Kruger, who worked at Sunnydale for many years and was there when it first started in 1999, shared how Sunnydale has served not only as a place […]
Do you remember how hard you have to work to stay warm on the coldest days of winter? John does, because he lived in his car. John had a routine. He would light candles, put foam around every window, to keep the heat in, and then wear a snowsuit to bed. Even with all this […]
It’s the end of an era at House of Friendship, as demolition of the former home of its Men’s Shelter is slated to begin this month, along with neighbouring administrative buildings. This demolition of the former Charles Street campus in downtown Kitchener is the first step towards creating Friendship Village – a new housing complex […]
For Mike and Kelly Peasgood, homelessness and addiction aren’t abstract issues. They are realities. Mike’s sister lost her husband to suicide, after a long struggle with alcohol use. It came as a shock to the rest of the family, since his struggles had always been hidden. “I guess he was a closet alcoholic,” said Mike. […]
