Lutherwood Housing Services
Kitchener, Cambridge, Ontario Kitchener, ON, Canada

Housing Services Update (March 20, 2020): In response to COVID-19 Lutherwood has made some difficult decisions for the health and safety of our staff and clients: - In-home visits (Paths2home & Families in Transition clients) continue after pre-screen for COVID-19 symptoms... - Resource Centre services continue via phone, virtual or email - Safe Haven Youth Service Remains OPEN Please call for more information: Kitchener: 519-749-2450 Cambridge: 519-623-9380 For more information, please visit our website: https://www.lutherwood.ca/blog/2020/responding-to-covid-19

Congratulations to Lutherwood’s Families In Transition (FIT) team for receiving the Sybil Frenette Outstanding Housing Creator Award today. Our FIT Team, consisting of Edwina Toope, Lori Williams, Nicole Gow and Kaitlyn Medcalf are visionary and creative problem-solvers. Not only did they work to end chronic homelessness for families in Waterloo Region, but this year, during a pandemic, 382 families accessed their services, with 85% of those families diverted from the emergency shelter system and never experiencing homelessness. Thank you for all your hard work FIT Team, and Congratulations!

This National Housing Day, the Kindred Spirit Award honours someone who has experienced homelessness and is using what they learned to help their peers. We are proud to announce that Lutherwood’s Housing Support Coach Leslie Ciampaglia is this year’s recipient. Leslie is a housing champion who gives what is needed of herself and often more. She takes the special bond shared by those who have traversed the difficult paths of homelessness and uses it to come full circle and hel...p others find housing stability in her role at Lutherwood. You can read more about Leslie and her story in our InSight Newsletter article: https://www.lutherwood.ca/bl/2020/bringing-life-full-circle Congratulations Leslie!

Today, November 20th, is National Housing Day, where the Region comes together to celebrate local housing achievements and share tributes to those with lived homelessness experience. This year, after her passing, the Lynn Macaulay Outstanding Housing Educator Award was created to honour the Executive Director of ALL IN 2020 and HHUG. We are proud to announce that Lutherwood’s own Suad Yassin is the first ever recipient of this award. For several years, Suad has worked close...ly with Lynn behind the scenes, helping with trainings, community events, social media campaigns, and website design. In Lynn's absence, Suad stepped up to continue Lynn’s mission with a similar passion and drive, and is now continuing Lynn’s important work. We can’t imagine this award going to anyone else in it’s first year and know Lynn would be so pleased to see Suad receive it and carry on the Housing Hero torch. Congratulations Suad!

Thank you Hockey Helps the Homeless - Waterloo Region for raising funds to support people who are homeless including youth at Lutherwood‘s Safe Haven. Our senior leaders have each purchased lawn signs and we encourage others to join us in a show of solidarity and support for people experiencing homelessness.

Come and help us celebrate and learn more about how you can join the efforts of ensuring everyone in our community has a place to call home. This day is to celebrate all of the amazing housing work each of you have done in the past year, and the work that has happened across our community. Please click on the link below to register for the first virtual National Housing Day Celebration this Friday Nov 20th 9-11am. https://regionofwaterloo.zoom.us//WN_W4EHNepCTZiPIaabLbF5Nw

The numbers are in - here's how Lutherwood's Employment Services helped last year. For more impact numbers, check out our 2020 Community Report online at www.lutherwood.ca/community-report/2020