The Centre of Hope is the focus of a newly launched campaign.
The Board of Directors is looking to raise $5 million to rebuild the current facility, which is the only day time drop-in centre for individuals living in homelessness in the region.
Dennis Nephin, who is one of 11 members on the board, said funds will be raised through various events and initiatives to get the whole community involved.
“We’re going to try and talk to some of the leaders of the community and some businesses here and just see if they can come together and help us achieve the goal of raising the money needed for the new building.”
The first campaign event will be a gala held on Nov. 28 at the Fort McMurray Golf Club.
Nephin said the gala will be a new, unique type of gala that will be very intimate and interactive.
He added they hope to run the campaign for one year to raise enough money to include everything needed in the rebuild process, including a temporary location.
“This is very time sensitive because the building can’t be down for a long period of time. So, we need to have all the funds secured.”
He estimated construction would start in summer 2021, but if funds are raised over this winter and spring, construction could start earlier.
Executive Director of The Centre of Hope, Rosie Keating said the current building is in a state of disrepair and quotes from contractors suggest it would cost as much to repair as it would to rebuild.
“Over the last year or so we’ve had some major issues and we’ve actually had to shut down a couple parts of our building to deal with mould and asbestos.”
She added with the recent rain and snow, the building has also been leaking from the foundation and the ceiling.
When it comes to the rebuild, she said the current lot is the ideal location.
“We’re right across the road from the soup kitchen. We’re the same distance from the Marshall House and the Salvation Army, so I think we’re in the ideal spot for the population we serve.”
The Centre of Hope has been located in the same building on McLeod St. since 2005 and serves on average between 60 and 70 individuals daily.
