The Rotary Club of Leamington is providing some financial support to help another Leamington organization build dozens of homes.
The Rotary Club has pledged $25,000 to support The Bridge Youth Resource Centre's effort to build 38 homes on its property at 310 Sherk St. in Leamington.
The homes are part of an $8 million attainable housing development, increasing the number of units from 12 to 50 homes.
Executive Director Krista Rempel says they've already completed site services for the project and have started construction.
"We have a few foundations poured and are hoping to have framing up in the foreseeable future," she says. "We're really excited about the progress that we're making with our contractor, and we hope to have all 38 homes completed by 2027. That's where our goal would be to have all of the funds raised by then too."
Rempel says they are still fundraising to reach the $8 million goal.
"We have raised approximately $5.6 million of the $8 million endeavour. So we still have a ways to go," she says.
The units will all be 560-square-foot, single-bedroom units showcasing energy efficiency and accessibility features.
The rental dollars will be used to assist the organization in its path to self-sustainability.
Rempel says the homes are needed given the housing crisis across the community and Canada.
"These homes, like I mentioned, will have affordable units and market-rate options because it is a bit of a business endeavour for us to be a self-sustaining organization and use those rental dollars for that purpose. We'll have priority population groups that will 100 per cent be meeting through that development as well," she says.
The Bridge Youth Resource Centre is a youth-serving organization for individuals ages 14-24 where programming centres around education and job support, mental health and addiction services, life and coping skills, and social inclusion activities.
The facility also supports those experiencing homelessness or housing instability through The Quiring Family Fresh Start supportive housing facility for youth 16-24.
Click here to find more information on how to donate to the project.