$250,000 for St. Leonard's

In making the donation Club President Peter Ward said, "we have been involved with St. Leonard's for many years and we believe they are doing great work for our city and region. At Rotary we believe in working together to make our community better."
This new facility is designed for up to 24 men and unlike traditional homeless shelters, offers an all encompassing life skills program. Many of the issues addressed deal with substance abuse, family, employment and life-skills enhancement.

Peel Region is providing $1.2 million, as part of a successful application to HRDC to meet the needs of homeless people and at-risk populations. The total cost of the project is expected to be $3 million. The balance will be raised through a fundraising campaign.

"The program will continue to focus on long-term care and solutions to meet the needs of these heroes. We build capacity through the development of a sense of belonging and community. We are not a shelter we are a home," says St. Leonard's Executive Director Rick Brown.

"It is important for the safety of the community to have a way for men who are in a transitional period of life, often institutionalized, to successfully re-enter society after years of living on the street," says John Lomax, chairman of St. Leonard's board of directors.

St. Leonard's House (Peel) facilitates a full-service program that provides progressive residential and social support services to men in transition. The 24-bed facility is designed to meet the needs of chronic homeless men to ensure their successful reintegration in the community. 
Its mandate is to promote the health and well being of individuals through an integrative approach that focuses on rehabilitation and reintegration into the broader community.