The Rainbow Resource Centre is celebrating a major donation to the Place of Pride project which provides housing to the LGSTQ2S+ community.
Canada Life and Power Corporation announced the $750,000 donation to the capital campaign on Monday.
“This gives us the first commitment from corporations in our community who really care about this work,” said Matthew Cutler, chair of the Rainbow Resource Centre. “It shows us that this idea of Place of Pride, this idea of a campus for 2SLGBTQ+ people supporting this housing that is built alongside it, is something that people see hope and opportunity in as we do.”
The first phase of construction was recently finished, and includes a four-storey apartment building for the LGBTQ2S+ community aged 55 and older. Residents started moving into the space in August and September.
The final project will reach 12,000 square feet, include a community hub, programming and peer support.
“This means that we will have a place to gather, that our elders have a place to age in place in community with our young people who also gather here every day so that we can be together like a village, a community caring for each other in a space that is ours, that is designed for us and built for our needs,” Cutler said.
The second phase of the construction will begin in early 2025.