From dream to fully operational reality, Dorie’s House celebrated the one year anniversary of their start of construction on July 5 of this past year.
A Community Appreciation Coffee Break was held this morning, with board members from the Southwest Youth Emergency Shelter hosting an opportunity to say thank you to the many people involved in making the shelter project a reality.
On July 5, 2016, a ground breaking ceremony was held on the vacant corner lot where the fully operational Dorie’s House now stands.
“When you look at the building, a building like this doesn’t go up in a year. It takes a little longer than that,” admitted Ron Toles, who serves as a Director on the Southwest Youth Emergency Shelter Board of Directors. “I think it’s a testament to Tom and Charmaine (Westbury) and the friendships they have in this community and the business community. They put out a call and said we need people to come and build this house. And inside of a few months we had a foundation, and a few months later we had walls, ceiling and a roof. And now we have landscaping and patios. And we have a beautiful place for kids who need a safe place. We’re now open and running and serving the youth of Southwest Saskatchewan.”
The project was a hub of activity during an intensive construction schedule which began last summer with clearing the lot, completing foundation work, and building the frame and completing finishing work. Doris’s House opened their doors at the start of 2017, but some final cosmetic touches to the building were completed earlier this week.
“There are very few people in this community that don’t have a hand in the building of this building. It’s a testament to the City and the people who live here,” Toles said.
At the SouthwestYES annual meeting this past month, it was reported that Dorie’s House has had a near instant impact in reaching out to displaced youth who are homeless and have nowhere else to turn. As of the end of May, they had provided help to 21 youth.
“Some kids just don’t need to be taken out of their homes and placed with Social Services. They just need a place to be where they can be safe for a night,” Toles noted.
Staff strive to make Dorie’s House a healthy place for youth accessing their services.
“Here they work with the kids. They don’t just stay here on a free ride. The kids are encouraged and they must take part in counselling, training, education, employment. We help them to get going again.”
