Building Hope To Start Building Facility Within Weeks
By John Swartz
The Building Hope Campaign team announced the awarding of the contract to build a community hub and supportive housing at 75 Queens Street. The project was awarded to W. S. Morgan Construction Ltd. of Parry Sound.
Construction will start after Labour Day. Twelve companies submitted expressions of interest and qualifications, from which 5 were invited to bid on the project.
“There was aver specific application process and as long as they ticked all those boxes, and they were all on the same level, the only deciding factor would be the price of the bid,” said the development coordinator and campaign manager, Lynn Thomas.
The community hub will replace the Lighthouse Soup Kitchen on Peter Street South, which will expand service to 40 emergency beds from 14 and include service for women, youth and families. Currently the Lighthouse only serves men. The new facility will also have five mental health beds and have service for addictions and mental health counseling. The 20 unit supportive housing component is also a new service the Lighthouse will offer.
To date $11.5 million has been secured though grants and donations, with $2.7 million more needed. Various fundraising programs are in effect and can be seen at the Building Hope website. The next major fundraiser is the Fall Golf Classic at Hawk Ridge Golf Club Sept. 20. The event raises money for the Lighthouse and the Couchiching Jubilee House. IN 2018 the tournament raised almost $43,000.
(Image Supplied)
