Downtown Mission Receives 50,000 Grant
By Rob Hindi
A boost for Windsor's Downtown Mission.
The mission has received a $50,000 grant from the United Church of Canada Foundation.
The money will be used to support the creation of 30 transitional housing units at the mission's future home, at the site of the former Windsor Public Library main branch on Ouellette Ave.
President David Armour says it's a pretty sizable grant for the foundation.
"Most of our grants are much smaller scale but this is a big project and we want to make a meaningful gift and be able to say to the rest of the donors, we're in, we're there and please join as well, come and join us and help us make this happen," says Armour.
He says the foundation's grants committee loved the proposal.
"When we saw the project and saw the difference it would make in Windsor, the difference it would make in the lives of those that needed to have a place to live, that have gone through the programs here and had an opportunity then to be sort of held by the mission and then released into the community with more strength and more capacity, what a beautiful program," says Armour.
Executive Director Ron Dunn says the mission will take possession of the building at 850 Ouellette Avenue on February 28.
He says the mission's goal is not to have a mortgage for their new home.
Dunn says as of now, between $2.4 and $2.5-million has been raised for the $9.3-million project.
Depending on funding, the mission would like to have the new site on Ouellette, fully operational by early 2021.