Posted on: April 21st, 2023. By: Simon Martin, yorkregion.com, Original Article.
The two grants received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation totalled $349,000
Blue Door received two grants, totalling $349,000, last year from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to help support the strengthening of its organizational capacity during a time of post-pandemic recovery. Earlier this month, York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney and Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy visited Blue Door’s locations and spoke to Michael Braithwaite, CEO of Blue Door, about the impact over the last year of the $149,900 and $199,100 Resilient Communities Fund grants from OTF.
“Supporting our community partners is about investing in all of our futures. This funding will have a direct and positive impact on purpose-built affordable and accessible housing,” Mulroney said. “These investments will ensure our community has access to programming and services to help our youth, adults, seniors and families live the quality lives they deserve.”
The one-year $149,900 Resilient Communities Fund has enabled Blue Door to hire an executive assistant and fundraising co-ordinator to increase the organization’s financial stability and support the development of a new, accessible website, launching this spring. Increasing Blue Door’s capacity, the executive assistant supports Blue Door’s growing board as well as planning for the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 through the creation of a 2023-2025 Strategic Plan.
“I am proud of our government’s initiatives to support organizations like Blue Door as they work so hard at tackling homelessness,” Gallagher Murphy said. “The bold and innovative ‘out of the box’ solutions Blue Door creates are truly a great investment. By helping our community members transition out of homelessness, on to a pathway where they have a viable work opportunity and housing, ensures that sense of home and security everyone deserves.”
An additional, two-year long, $199,100 OTF Resilient Communities Fund grant was awarded in the summer and is helping Blue Door create and retain affordable housing in York Region. To begin this work, Blue Door turned to its underutilized property in Newmarket, Kevin’s Place, where a 100-year-old house sits on less than 30 per cent of the land. Blue Door plans to redevelop the property, with the support of EllisDon Community Builders and Habitat for Humanity GTA, to create purpose-built affordable and accessible housing, effectively tripling the number of people they can house.
“With the cost of living increasing throughout the pandemic, we are seeing more people struggling to get by and facing homelessness,” Braithwaite said. “Ontario Trillium Foundation understands and cares for our communities. With generous funding from the OTF Resilient Communities Fund grant, Blue Door launched a new three-year strategic plan to boldly help people escape homelessness through employment, health and housing supports, including creating more affordable housing.”
To learn more about Blue Door’s new Strategic Plan or to make a donation to support people experiencing homelessness, visit the website at www.bluedoor.ca.