It has been almost three years since the beginning of Trinity’s partnership with the Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) and what a successful and mutually beneficial partnership it has been! In that time, Cathy Baer and Barb Hill have volunteered on the WRCF’s Community Grants committee, John Fraser has volunteered on WRCF’s Financial Review committee and Dave Rutherford has volunteered on the Due Diligence committee. Trinity United Church has featured prominently in WRCF’s press releases.

Trinity’s Ad Hoc Affordable Housing committee, consisting of Janet Howitt, Diane Vandeberg, Mac Summers, Mark Breathwaite, Dave Rutherford and Cathy Baer, met a number of times throughout the past year. You may recall that in June of 2023, the Ad Hoc committee reviewed a number of applications and with $80,000 to grant, recommended the following:

$20 000 to oneROOF Youth Services for their new position supporting youth experiencing mental health and addictions concerns
$16 000 to Sanguen Health Centre for their Primary Care Outreach Nurse
$15 000 to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region for their project, “Emergency and Short-Term Housing for Survivors of Sex Trafficking”
$15 000 to the Working Centre for the new Queen Street apartments
$14 000 to SHOW for their Life Skills Coordinator position

In December 2023, the markets were up allowing Trinity’s Legacy II to grant an additional $60 000 to support its Outreach Mission of Affordable and Supportive Housing. Trinity’s Ad Hoc Affordable Housing committee reconvened and we recommended that the entire grant of $60 000 be given to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. In January of 2024, the committee recommended a grant of $15 000 to the KW Multicultural Center for support of first and last month’s rent in facilitating lease agreements for newcomers to Canada. Both received Board approval.

In June 2024, Trinity’s Ad Hoc committee met and recommended that $20 000 be given to Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW) for the purchase of a storage container so they can substantially increase and store the amount of food they receive from the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

The committee also reviewed a number of applications through our partnership with WRCF. We recommended that total granting of $90 000 be dispersed as follows:

$40 000 to oneROOF Youth Services for their Lifeline program. This program is a life line to youth experiencing homelessness; it offers them a safe place to be themselves and receive the support they need to change the trajectory of their lives.
$40 000 to Food4Kids Waterloo Region for their School Break Program. This program will provide food to support children living with severe food insecurity during the summer when they are unable to access school nutrition programs.
$10 000 to Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP) for their Shelter to Community program. The Emergency Shelter to Community Housing program will provide housing solutions that are people-centered, outcome-focused, instill hope and reflect a Housing First/Focused approach to prevent, reduce, address and eliminate men’s homelessness. This grant will provide men living in the Edith Mac Men’s Shelter with customized move-in kits as they transition to permanent stable housing.

“This year, we (WRCF) received requests for over $3.6 million in funding. The need continues to far outpace the dollars available”, says Eric Avner, President and CEO, Waterloo Region Community Foundation. This summer, 43 local charitable organizations received $1,000,000 in grants and Trinity’s donation of $90,000 is a significant part of that granting. We are really making a difference in our community!

With the Board’s approval in June, our new partnerships with these organizations are off to a great start! We are looking forward to learning more about the important work they do in our community as the year progresses.

Respectfully submitted by Cathy Baer

Grants for Affordable and Supportive Housing Outreach totals $265, 000 since June 2023

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