The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education and MHA for Burin-Placentia West, on behalf of the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, along with Minister Darin King, Minister of Justice and MHA for Grand Bank, will attend the official opening of a new affordable housing project in Burin today (Wednesday, May 29).
The event will take place at 1:00 p.m., 64 Greenhill Road, Burin.
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Media contact:
Carol Ann Carter
Director of Communications (Acting)
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-1758, 631-9505
carolanncarter@gov.nl.ca
The Honourable Darin King, Minister of Justice and MHA for Grand Bank, on behalf of the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, along with the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education and MHA for Burin-Placentia West, will attend the official opening of a new affordable housing project tomorrow (Wednesday, May 29).
The event will take place at 11:30 a.m., 84 – 88 Main Street, Salt Pond.
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Media contact:
Carol Ann Carter
Director of Communications (Acting)
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-1758, 631-9505
carolanncarter@gov.nl.ca
The Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador today celebrated the official opening of the new Libra House today, a 10-bed crisis shelter for women and children in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); along with the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), made the announcement.
“Our government recognizes the urgent need to provide women and children a safe place during a crisis situation. By providing funding to this project, we are also following through on our commitment to provide safe and affordable housing for all Canadians,” said Minister MacKay. “The Government of Canada remains focused on four priorities, as outlined by the Prime Minister, that Canadians care most about: their families, the safety of our streets and communities, their pride in being a citizen of this country, and of course, their personal financial security.”
The $200,000 funding for Libra House was provided in 2009 through the Shelter Enhancement Program of the CMHC-Newfoundland and Labrador Renovation Programs Agreement. NLHC has also provided $50,000 through its Provincial Homelessness Funding Program and CMHC provided $20,000 in Seed Funding.
“This new facility will enable Libra House to provide victims of family violence with a secure and supportive refuge at a very vulnerable time in their life,” said Minister Davis. “On behalf of the Provincial Government and Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, we commend the Libra House staff for their hard work and dedication to helping women and children. Their commitment helped make this safe haven a reality.”
Since 1985, Libra House has provided safe temporary shelter and support for women and children throughout Labrador who have experienced violence or abuse. Libra House offers 24-hour service, seven days a week, and also operates a 24-hour crisis phone line.
“This is an amazing milestone in the life of Libra House,” said Janet O’Donnell, Executive Director of Libra House. “This new building is giving us even more resolve to continue providing a refuge and space that is secure and accessible for women and their children escaping relationship violence. We are thankful for the ongoing support we receive from our funding partners.”
The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest approximately $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of close to 594,000 households living in existing social housing. In Newfoundland and Labrador, this represents some 11,400 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in existing social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.
To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.
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Media contacts:
Carol Ann Carter
Director of Communications (Acting)
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-1758, 709-631-9505
carolanncarter@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Communications Manager
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
Katherine LeBlanc
Consultant, Communications & Marketing
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
902-426-6581
krleblan@cmhc.ca
Jan O’Driscoll
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Janet O’Donnell
Executive Director, Libra House
Happy Valley-Goose Bay
(709) 896-8022
librahouse@nf.aibn.com
The Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador today celebrated the official opening of the Mokami Status of Women Council Centre; a multifunctional centre for women in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); along with the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), made the announcement today.
“Our government is helping to make affordable housing available in Newfoundland and Labrador and across Canada for those who need it the most,” said Minister MacKay. “This new multifunctional centre in Happy Valley – Goose Bay is helping women access safe and affordable housing and building a stronger future for themselves.”
The new building includes the Women’s Centre offices, an operational social enterprise thrift store and eight supportive-living housing units: four one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units.
“We are very proud to support this facility,” said Minister Davis. “A combined investment like this demonstrates commitment from both levels of government to address housing issues for women and speaks to the high caliber of this facility providing a safe environment where women can share experiences and engage in programs and services to help improve their lives.”
The $1.2 million funding for this project was made available through the 2009 extension of the Affordable Housing Initiative. The Federal and Provincial Governments are contributing equally to this overall investment of $69 million under the amended Canada – Newfoundland and Labrador Affordable Housing Program Agreement. In addition, NLHC also provided $551,270 to the project through its Supporting Living Program and $330,000 through its Provincial Homelessness Fund, while the Provincial Government’s Women’s Policy Office provides $122,000 annually in operational funding. CMHC provided $10,000 in Seed Funding and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provided more than $80,000 in Rural and Remote Homelessness funding from the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
The project has its roots in the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Status of Women Council, formed in 1979. Soon afterward it adopted the name the Mokami Status of Women Council. Their focus was to start a women’s housing shelter in the area to address such issues as rape crisis, day care, women’s rights, and housing.
“We are grateful to NLHC and CMHC for their immense support, and we are excited to embark on this new journey in supporting women who are experiencing challenges with housing due to multiple and complex needs,” said Carol Best, Housing Director, Mokami Status of Women Council. “We will be using a holistic approach to provide services to women who are struggling with housing crises because of barriers to support services. We are very excited to share this new space with the women of Labrador.”
A key objective for the Provincial Government is to stimulate the development of affordable rental housing by the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Priority is placed on developing rental housing for persons with disabilities, seniors, and people who require supports to live independently in the community. This work is in keeping with A Social Housing Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador – Secure Foundations, released by the Provincial Government in August 2009, which outlines a long-term vision for social housing. A copy of the social housing plan is available at SocialHousingPlan-2009Report.
The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest approximately $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of close to 594,000 households living in existing social housing. In Newfoundland, this represents some 11,400 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in existing social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.
To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca.
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Media contacts:
Carol Ann Carter
Director of Communications (Acting)
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-1758, 709-631-9505
carolanncarter@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Communications Manager
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
Katherine LeBlanc
Consultant, Communications & Marketing
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
902-426-6581
krleblan@cmhc.ca
Jan O’Driscoll
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Carol Best
Housing Director
Mokami Status of Women Council
709-896-3484, ext. 201
housing@mokamiwomen.ca