Friends and supporters,
This past September, Restorations celebrated its 5th birthday. 5 years ago, a group of passionate individuals met for the first time on the floor of a living room. We dreamed of opening a home that would support survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.
A few years ago, we declared that we were working to open our first home by Christmas 2018. Unfortunately, this goal date will not be met. We don’t want to diminish the disappointment of not meeting this target date; every day we do not open, there are more women escaping commercial sexual exploitation who might not be met with the specialized services needed to overcome the hurt and harm they have experienced. Across Canada, law enforcement, social service providers, health care workers, and communities identify safe, stable and supportive housing as one of the highest needs – and biggest gaps – for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. There are agencies and organizations across Canada working to address this area, but the need is significant and the options are few.
While we humbly address the fact that we will not be open by our target date, we are excited to announce a huge development for our organization.
In partnership with the Central District office of the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada, we have identified a home in Burlington, Ontario that will be Restorations’ first home! Renovations will commence Spring 2019 with a goal date of being open in 2020.
Friends, we are so excited about this news! And we have been encouraged when we’ve shared this news with supporters and partners in person over the last week and it has been met with enthusiasm and joy!
Although details regarding renovations, its process, opportunities to volunteer with this project, etc. are still in development, we just couldn’t wait to share this exciting news with you! Please continue to stay tuned as we release more details over the coming weeks.
In the meantime, would you consider partnering with us? For Restorations to safely open without the risk of closing and re-traumatizing our residents, we require commitments of 3 years operational funding, that is $2,000,000 in commitments. Once the house is renovated, we want to welcome our first residents right away, but we can’t do that without your support. Please consider becoming a monthly partner because with support, victims become survivors.
