“As many as 5,000 military veterans are homeless and living on the streets in Canada,” says a news release from Sutton Group. “Many of them risked their lives to protect our freedom and some suffered injuries and post-traumatic stress, making it more challenging to integrate back into civilian life.”
Sutton Group – Masters Realty in Kingston, Ont. is supporting an innovative Homes for Heroes project that will provide temporary housing, counselling and training for veterans. This will be the first such village in Ontario and it will serve the eastern portion of the province.
Realtors at the brokerage who are donating a portion of their commissions to the cause include Ryan and Gail Power, Kay Langmuir, Sharon Moorecroft, Jack Green, Karen Donnan, Diane Giberson, Sue Henker, Joy Todd, Bruce Parks, Don and Janet Armour, Catherine Arnold and Ted Custance.
The Sutton Group – Masters team also plans to participate in the Ride for Refuge on October 2, with all proceeds benefiting the Homes for Heroes Foundation.
“We’re pulling out all the stops, from hanging riders on our listing signs and making a donation on each sale (usually $100 per) to getting involved in the Ride for Refuge event,” says Gail Power. “We’re just getting started in the Ride for Refuge and we’ve already collected over $1,700 in the first three days.”
The Homes for Heroes Foundation opened their first tiny homes village in Calgary on Nov. 1, 2019. According to the foundation’s website, “Fifteen veterans who were previously homeless are now warm, safe, secure and on the path back to mainstream society.” A second village is underway in Edmonton.
The third project, the village in Kingston, will also consist of tiny homes constructed from prefabricated modular housing. Each self-contained unit is approximately 300 square feet and includes a kitchen, living room, bathroom and sleeping area. All the homes face inward to facilitate peer-to-peer support and each village has a resource centre, counselling office, community garden and other amenities. To learn more, visit homesforheroesfoundation.ca.
