Government of Canada and Women's Community House Celebrate Completion of Renovations

LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 20, 2012) - The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Women's Community House (WCH) celebrated the completion of renovations at Women's Community House Second Stage Housing, which provides housing for women and children who are victims of family violence in London.

Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for CMHC, along with Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West made the announcement.

"Repairing and maintaining housing not only helps maintain strong and healthy communities but most importantly, it improves the quality of life for residents," said MP Preston. "Our Government is committed to giving a hand-up to those in need, including women and children who seek safe and supportive housing and an opportunity to move forward with their lives."

"Through this support, we are not only helping repair housing, we are helping repair people's lives, to give them hope and give them dignity" said MP Holder. "With the completion of these renovations, residents can confidently call their house their home."

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, provided $127,500 to Women's Community House Second Stage Housing through the Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP).

SEP assists in repairing, rehabilitating and improving existing shelters for women and their children, youth or men who are victims of family violence. It also provides financial assistance for acquisition or construction of new shelters and second-stage housing where needed.

Women's Community House Second Stage Housing provides 25 bed units for women and children. Funding was provided for renovations, including new flooring and windows.

"Today is an exciting day for Women's Community House," said Shelley Yeo, Director of Transitional Housing and Community Support Programs. "Thanks to the support of CMHC and other government partners, we were able to complete much-needed renovations at our Second Stage Housing. Our Second Stage Housing provides housing for women and their children who are facing challenging situations, and it's important for them to have a safe, well-maintained place to call home."

WCH is a charitable non-profit organization founded in 1978 to serve the needs of abused women and their children in London and the London region. WCH is open 365 days per year, 24 hours per day and provides emergency and short-term shelter, counselling and support, second stage housing, a 24-hour helpline and transitional outreach services. With a combined total of 67 beds at the Wellington Road and Clarke Road facilities, WCH is the largest shelter for abused women and their children in Canada.

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest more than $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of almost 615,000 households living in existing social housing. In Ontario, this represents some 121,000 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in existing social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.

CMHC has been Canada's national housing agency for more than 65 years. CMHC is committed to helping Canadians access a wide choice of quality, environmentally sustainable, affordable housing solutions, while making vibrant, healthy communities and cities a reality across the country.

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