Welcome to our Trillium Room!

On May 24, Local MPP Ted Hsu and Ontario Trillium Foundation representative, Gary Melnuk, met with Dawn House staff and Board members in our brand new Trillium Room located at our Milford Drive location.

The room had been named in recognition of the contribution that the Ontario Trillium Foundation had made through a 2022-23 $111,500 Resilient Communities Fund Grant that enabled Dawn House to repurpose its physical space and hire staff to develop revenue sources, rebuild its volunteer base and adapt programming virtually.

The Trillium Room, with its Viewsonic View Board, is a much used resource room where Dawn House has been able to hold online training programs, virtual and hybrid meetings that meet the needs of residents, staff, volunteers and the Board.

The meeting was a great opportunity to use and celebrate this new space while recognizing the contribution that The Ontario Trillium Foundation has made to helping Dawn House build its resiliency and sustainability by hiring new staff to address organizational needs through a $93,500 grant discussed in this previous blog post.

Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for your continued support.

Darlene Donovan, Lynne McMullan, Ashley Sturgess

Ted Hsu, Maggie McLaren, Scott Whyte, April Dawn Drobig

Ted Hsu, Gary Melnuk and Maggie McLaren

$93,500 Grant from the Ontario Government

MEDIA RELEASE - May 24, 2024

$93,500 Grant from the Ontario Government Gives Dawn House a Lift

Kingston, ON - On Friday, local MPP Ted Hsu met with the team at Dawn House to hear more about the $93,500 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to help the organization build its resilience and sustainability by hiring new staff to address organizational needs.

“Housing is not meant to be a privilege, and Dawn House recognizes this,” said Ted Hsu, MPP for Kingston and the Islands. “They have done so much to house vulnerable and marginalized women in Kingston, and with renewed strength from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, they will continue to build up our community's resilience.”

Awarded in May 2023, this OTF grant was instrumental in helping remedy the challenges Dawn House faced during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including dwindling board members and volunteer participation, a lack of fundraising campaigns, needing more work space and gathering areas, technology for remote teaching and meetings, and additional staff support and strategic planning. Thanks to this funding, Dawn House was able to hire a Wellness Coach and a Governance Coach to address these issues and build the organization’s resilience moving forward.

“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be overstated,” said Maggie McLaren, Executive Director of Dawn House. “Our organization was not exempt from the challenges that COVID- 19 brought with it. Fortunately, with this funding, we’ve been able to make the necessary changes to address our needs. We can now function safely, adapt to changes in staff, volunteers, space usage and financial streams.”

Dawn House is a local non-for-profit charity supporting and empowering homeless, vulnerably housed, and marginalized women living in poverty. No one chooses to be homeless but our vision is for all women to live in safe, affordable, and accessible housing. Since its inception in 1986, there have been over 6,000 stays. If you would like to help or would like more information please visit our website at www.dawnhouse.ca or come join us on June 21 st for our Annual Golf tournament (details on our website).

“Non-profit organizations across Ontario deliver programming that makes a difference,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “That’s why funding that my ministry is providing through the OTF is so important. Our government wants to ensure that these programs and spaces remain the heart of communities across our province.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested more than $110M into 1,044 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:

Maggie McLaren, Executive Director

maggie.mclaren@dawnhouse.ca

Emergency Shelter Update

We like to joke that Dawn House Emergency Shelter is now homeless and we will be couch surfing at Queen's University until August 20, 2024!

In all seriousness, our West Wing at our 805 Ridley Drive location is about to get a facelift starting next week and we are in the process this week of moving women to our temporary location at Queen's University.  For the next four months, we will be renting rooms in Leggett Hall.  The move will not be without its challenges, but we are ready to take them on in order to continue to provide emergency shelter through this transition period.

Challenge - How will women and agencies contact us when they are looking for a bed?

The Shelter will be occupying a wing in Leggett Hall, a secure building, and it is not conducive to women who are homeless just dropping by to see if there is a bed available.  Women and agencies will need to call to reserve a bed.

While at this location, we will be reliant on mobile phones.  If you encounter a technical issue getting in touch by phone, please email:  info@dawnhouse.ca 

Phone number onsite:

• 613-929-3440

Challenge - How Will Donors Drop off Needed Items?

While we are in our temporary location, donations of clothing and household items will be managed at our Milford Drive and Ridley East (Christine's Hope) locations.  If you have items to donate, please check our website for an updated list of what items we are looking for.

We would like to thank Queen's University Event Services for so kindly offering us an amazing temporary home while we wait for our 'forever home.'