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Moss, Lowe, Hawn & Fritz To Open Joey's Home
[August 07, 2007]
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Winnifred Stewart Association Celebrates Completion of One-of-a-Kind Living for People with Developmental Disabilities
On Wednesday, July 18, the Winnifred Stewart Association (WSA) will hold a grand opening ceremony for Joey’s Home, a unique new facility featuring a combination of assisted and independent living for individuals with developmental disabilities. Among the speakers at the event will be Laurie Hawn, MP Edmonton-Centre, Yvonne Fritz, Associate Minister of Affordable Housing and Urban Development, Martin Garber-Conrad, Chair of the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund, and Kevin Lowe, General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers.
After several years of planning and a full year of construction, the opening of Joey’s Home is a major accomplishment for all partners involved, a significant addition to the city of Edmonton and a life-changing experience for the soon-to-be residents of the facility. The celebration of this milestone will take place from 11:00 am–12:30 pm in front of Joey’s Home (11117–132 Street) and will conclude with tours of the facility.
Both Larry Smook, WSA’s CEO, and Ralph Hutchinson, President of Daytona Homes (a major partner in the Joey’s Home project) will be in attendance. “We’ve been developing Joey’s Home for years,” says Smook. “Naming the home in honour of Joe Moss was the perfect final touch on what we all felt was a phenomenal project. Basically, we wanted a name that would best reflect our association’s dedication to providing clients with resources for life, as well as our longstanding relationship with the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club.”
Joey’s Home was made possible by the support of over 200 associations, companies and individuals, including Daytona Homes, Edmonton Housing Trust Fund, the Government of Canada, trade suppliers, business associates, grants (e.g., Allard Foundation, Kristie Charitable Foundation, Melton Foundation) and the Joey’s Home Trust, established by Wayne Gretzky in 1988.
“The Government of Canada, in partnership with the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund, is proud to support community efforts to help persons with developmental disabilities live as independently as possible”, said Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre. “It’s amazing the results achieved when the private sector, community organizations and governments work together to build great places such as Joey’s Home.”
“The Trust Fund is proud to be a part of this special project that will greatly benefit persons with developmental disabilities and ensure they receive the quality of life they so richly deserve, in a safe, supportive and affordable environment,” said Edmonton Housing and Trust Fund Chair Martin Garber-Conrad.
The 8,000 square-foot facility will also be open for public viewing on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 from 1 to 5 pm. WSA expects to have residents moving in August 2007.
WINNIFRED STEWART ASSOCIATION BACKGROUND:
The Winnifred Stewart Association (WSA) has been enhancing the quality of lives for people with developmental disabilities since 1953. Today, the WSA is an innovator in working with aging adults with developmental disabilities. Over the course of their adult life, clients and their families benefit from WSA’s customized programs designed to meet the diverse and changing needs of people with developmental disabilities.
The Winnifred Stewart Association’s core programs include the following:
- Residential services
- Recreation and leisure programs
- Employment training
Contact Information:
Larry Smook, CEO
Winnifred Stewart Association
Phone: (780) 453-6707
Cell: (780) 718-5276
Email: larrys@winnifredstewart.com
Website: www.winnifredstewart.com
Nichole Jordan, Events and P.R. Coordinator
Winnifred Stewart Association
Phone: (780) 453-6707
Cell: (780) 718-0573
E-mail: nicholej@winnifredstewart.com
Susan McGee, Acting Executive Director
Edmonton Housing Trust Fund
Phone: (780) 496-6035
Cell: (780) 905-1232
Email: susan.mcgee@moresafehomes.net
Website: www.ehtf.ca
EDMONTON HOUSING TRUST FUND BACKGROUNDER
The Edmonton Housing Trust Fund (EHTF) works in partnership with the three orders of government and the community. One of the main functions of the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund is to serve as the funding vehicle for affordable housing and support services in Edmonton by leveraging public with not-for-profi t and private sector funding so that it can be used to meet the highest priority needs in Edmonton as identifi ed in the community plan. The EHTF has funding agreements with the Government of Canada, the Province of Alberta and the City of Edmonton under various programs to support this mandate.
For more information on the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund, visit their web site at: www.ehtf.ca
For more information, please contact:
Jim Molnar, Communications Officer,
Edmonton Housing Trust Fund
(780) 944-5697
The Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing (EJPCOH) The Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing is a community-based non-profi t entity that brings together representatives from three orders of government and a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders and community representatives.
Through the Edmonton Community Plan, EJPCOH coordinates community initiatives to address the priority low-income, special and transitional housing needs of Edmonton. In addition, EJPCOH works to prevent the at-risk groups from becoming homeless. EJPCOH fosters a collaborative environment between the many partners in our community who deliver and fund housing and support services.
For more information on the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing, visit their web site at: www.moresafehomes.net
For more information, please contact:
Susan McGee, Executive Director,
Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing
(780) 496-6035
Government of Canada
Funding for this project has been provided through the Government of Canada’s National Homelessness Initiative (NHI) under the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI). Since it began in 1999, NHI has committed $44.8 million to the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund for projects aimed at helping the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in the Edmonton area.
The Government of Canada recently announced a new Homelessness Partnering Strategy with $270 million dedicated to supporting effective community efforts in alleviating and preventing homelessness across Canada the next two years.
For more information on the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, visit their website at: www.homelessness.gc.ca
For more information, please contact:
Adria Pavic, Service Canada,
Communications Consultant,
(780) 495-5606
Government of Alberta
Through the provincial Homelessness Initiative, Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing allocates funds on a year-to-year basis to community-based organizations in each of the seven major urban centres (i.e., Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, and Fort McMurray), in accordance with approved community plans and based upon the program criteria. The province has provided $1 million per year in funding since the inception of the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund in 1999.
For more information on the Government of Alberta’s Homelessness Initiative, visit the Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing web site at: www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca
For more information, please contact:
Robert Storrier, Communications Offi cer
Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing
(780) 415-9952
City of Edmonton
The City of Edmonton, a founding member of the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund, appoints one of the seven trustees and provides approximately $1.2 million in funding to the Trust Fund annually.
For information on Edmonton’s housing and homelessness initiatives, contact Housing Services at (780) 496-6029.
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