Imagine a cold, wintery evening.
Snow is falling, the air is chilly, it’s the perfect night to curl up inside by a fire. Instead, you take to Hurontario Street, along with hundreds of others, walking for a cause in which you believe.
Now imagine if all of those people gathering together after the event, stranger sitting beside stranger, warming up with a hot snack and festive live music. The strength of community, in an act of warmth, for youth that are in need of such comfort.
On Feb 25th, Home Horizon will be hosting its 8th annual Coldest Night of the Year event, a national event that raises funds for youth who are at risk of homelessness in the community. With over 160 charities participating across Canada, Home Horizon secured a spot in the top 5, ranking 3rd overall last year and they hope to keep climbing…
“The fact that we are able to rank so high is simple. We live in a community that cares deeply about the well-being of others.” says Deb Piggott, Fund Development Manager for Home Horizon. “The South Georgian Bay area is a tight-knit community that understands the value of the work that Home Horizon is doing. They are showing the youth of our community that their safety is a priority and that their future is important.”
With a goal of raising $185,000 this year, Home Horizon’s mission is to extend their reach in the community to help as many youth as they can.
Home Horizon targets youth experiencing homelessness in the Southern Georgian Bay area. The Barbara Weider House, their transitional housing program, is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and currently has capacity for ten youth to live in the House. There are currently 17 youth on the waiting list for the Barbara Weider House. The youth outreach program also helps connect youth with other housing service organizations in our community. They work with youth facing complex and challenging barriers including poverty, mental health and addictions, sex trafficking, racism, trauma and conflictual home lives. Home Horizon has served 236 youth, including the 10 youth currently living at the Barbara Weider House, and presently has 23 youth actively working with our Outreach Worker and the program to locate stable/long-term housing.
With your support, they have been able to give these vulnerable young people safe housing with 24-hour supervision as well as counselling, essential life skills training, and ultimately helping them to transform their lives.
This year they will host a combination of an in-person event and a virtual, so that people feel comfortable participating.
You can make a difference! You can be part of the transformation of young lives at risk of homelessness, at risk of living outside in the cold. Will you start a team again this year, and walk with them? Gather your family, friends and colleagues and enter a team. Choose to walk at the in-person event or host your own walk, hike or ski.
Register now at https://cnoy.org/register