On any given night, more than 6,000 young people are without a place to call home; that has to change.
That’s why The Home Depot® Canada Foundation is committed to ending youth homelessness through The Orange Door Project; giving youth the housing, support services and hope they need to live safe, healthy and productive lives.
The Orange Door Project comes out of The Home Depot Canada Foundation’s three-year, $10-million pledge to support renovation and repair projects and programs that provide youth access to safe, stable housing and life-skills development programs.
A key component of The Orange Door Project is The Home Depot Canada Foundation’s in-store fundraising campaign, which starts today. Customers shopping at the Kelowna Home Depot store can donate $2 at the checkout to purchase a (paper) Orange Door. The campaign runs until July 2, 2014. One hundred per cent of all proceeds will stay in the Kelowna community and support Kelowna Youth Shelter of Okanagan Boys and Girls Club.
Kelowna Youth Shelter is a voluntary resource for youth, ages 13-18 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have no safe alternatives. The shelter offers short-term residential programs and also a Gateway Suite. This fully self-contained two-bedroom furnished suite offers youth ages 16-18 a home for up to six months, providing support and preparing them for independent living.
“The Orange Door Project is committed to putting an end to youth homelessness by providing youth with the housing and life-skills they require to establish independent, productive lives,” said Peg Hunter, chair, The Home Depot Canada Foundation. “Together, with the support of our Kelowna customers, we can help Canada’s most vulnerable youth realize their potential and build brighter futures.”
Other aspects of The Orange Door Program include: regional partnerships with leading youth-serving housing organizations in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax; grant programs to support youth-serving housing charities with renovation and repair projects; and an Issues Advisory Council of thought leaders and experts in the youth homelessness sector. To learn more, visit http://www.homedepot.ca/foundation.
