“Back in 2018, prior to the COVID pandemic, people became aware of a different epidemic of loneliness. And the members of our congregation, working in partnership with Canon Catherine Ascah and with many in the neighbourhood, worked on the question of ‘how do we answer the epidemic of loneliness?’ And Games Night was born.”

He described the atmosphere of hearing the tick-tack sound of discs hitting pegs and landing in the holes on wooden crockinole boards and interspersed with the flip-flop sounds of cards being played and shuffled, and the sounds of people having fun together.

“On the first Friday of each month, the parish hall is available to parishioners and guests to participate in any number of games. Games that they might bring with them, card games, board games, table games, even shuffleboard if they can draw it on a floor themselves. There’s even food provided and refreshments. Nobody has to leave because they’re hungry,” Brauer said.

“Over time, it was observed that these events were achieving the initial goal of connection and relationship with community building among congregants. It was also observed that community and relationships were being built with non-congregants. The guests of church members who were accepting invitations to join in. The parish leadership, the council and corporation, and the congregation as a whole have been encouraged by the positive impacts of Games Night. And so, we sought support from the Future Fund Grant, and we were honoured to receive that support.”

Play is widely known to be essential to human development and well -being, Brauer said, but “it is often overlooked by churches and social organizations that seek to serve those who experience deprivation and poverty.” While the church might overlook it, God does not, he said, quoting a few passages from Scripture. “Zechariah 8: The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Ecclesiastes 3, “For everything there is a season, including a time to laugh and a time to dance. Matthew, “Jesus says, let the little children come to me for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

“Play is central to who we are,” Brauer said. “So, this fund isn’t just a fund to get us working harder. It’s not just a fund to get us to do the right things. It is a fund to let us play. But not just us. To be able to play with those who may not have the chance to play on their own. For those whose situations in life are so awkward and so complex that the idea of even having access to play is unthinkable. And so, with this grant from the Future Fund, we are able not only to continue that tick tack of fellowship and the shuffle sound of friendship and fun and communion, but also to extend and expand the soundtrack of godly playfulness in a context of isolation, loneliness and deprivation.”

Brauer noted that Smiths Falls is a town that is counted by many as one of the poorest in Ontario with reports of 25 % food insecurity, 20 % social assistance, making the week possible. “With this grant, Games Night can grow to include movie night, as we are able to purchase better equipment and pay for film licenses. With this grant, Games Night can grow by printing invitations that can reach our friends and neighbors further beyond our pews. With this grant, Games Night can grow by making available new games, games we wouldn’t have ever thought possible as new friends join us and bring with them their desires for hope and play in community with us.”

The grant will also make it possible for the parish to buy coffee makers, he said. “Coffee makers would be now a gift to add caffeine to our communion,” he said wryly. It would also make it possible to expand the program to happen every week, not just once a month “so that new expressions of playfulness and fellowship can be enjoyed by so many,” he added, thanking the diocese once again for its support.

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Many gathered for the opening ceremony with representatives of the other partners in this collaborative project—Carebridge Community Support, the federal government, Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls—and to tour the building that now offers 34 units of affordable housing at 44 Chambers Street in Smiths Falls. Twenty-eight of the units are rent-geared-to-income, and the rest are also affordable but at a different rate.

Rob Eves, CEO of Carebridge, a non-profit organization that led the project, told those gathered, “The story behind 44 Chambers is one of perseverance and partnership…. It took a lot of hard work from a lot of people to get this done. But you need to remember though that it’s not just about building a building today, it’s actually providing a home for those who most need it in our communities. And we’ve been lucky to hear from a few of the people who have been moving in recently and to hear how happy they are to have 44 Chambers as their new home.”

Introducing Tammy Mulrooney as the representative of St. John’s parish, Eves said, “This all began… with a small, dedicated group that were determined to make a difference in the community by channeling bequeathed funds into affordable housing at Smiths Falls. This is a result of that small conversation that turned into a much larger one that brought many more partners to the table. But if it had never happened … this building may never have happened.”

The federal government contributed $3.7 million from an Affordable Housing Fund (AHF); Lanark Country contributed $2.9 million, and another $10,000 came from the Town of Smiths Falls, which is also providing a tax abatement for about 20 years to help the maintain these units as deeply affordable housing.

Mulrooney said that the church’s donation of $500,000, which came from a generous bequest, was more than a financial contribution to the project. For the parish, it is a symbol of their dedication to creating a more inclusive and compassionate society. “Affordable housing is not merely about providing shelter, it’s about fostering communities, nurturing hope, and ensuring dignity for all. At St. John’s, we hold these values close to our hearts, and it’s a privilege to see them manifest in projects like this one.”

She thanked everyone involved “our parishioners past and present, the organizing committees, volunteers, local authorities, and all those who have supported us along the way. Your collective efforts have transformed dreams into bricks and mortar, and today we see the culmination of our shared aspiration.”

Addressing the residents of the building, Mulrooney said, “Know that you are not just occupants of a building. You are integral members of a vibrant and caring community. Your presence enriches our town, and we welcome you with open arms.”

In closing, she added, “let us remember that our work does not end here. As stewards of compassion and agents of change, let us continue to strive for a society where housing is not a luxury, and but a fundamental right for all.”

The Rev. Thomas Brauer, Incumbent of St. John’s, said the parish hopes to continue to play a role in serving the residents and building a sense of community. Although the church building is too far from 44 Chambers to serve as a gathering or social space for residents, particularly if they have mobility issues (eight of the units are fully accessible), Brauer said the parish is talking with a food hub, which is slated to open across the road from 44 Chambers this summer, about partnering and possibly using their facilities for programming.

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The post Three housing projects open and welcome residents home appeared first on Perspective.

The parish donated $500,000 last year, part of a generous bequest, to kick-start the project that will provide 34 badly needed units in the town. “It was more than just the money,” said Robert Eves, chief executive officer of Carebridge Community Support, the project developer.

Eves points to the extensive consultations that St. John’s conducted. “It showed that the community really believes in the project and is 100 per cent behind it.”

Smiths Falls Mayor Shawn Pankow who brought St. John’s together with Carebridge in 2019 said, “I can’t tell you how important it was.”  He knew that St. John’s was interested in affordable housing and that Carebridge was looking for significant community support.

St. John’s built the support through a series of consultations to determine a consensus about the town’s most pressing needs. Meetings were held with social services, youth groups, town council, other churches. Affordable housing along with abuse came out on top.

Eves says St. John’s initiative was important in demonstrating to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) that the wider community was behind the project. The parish enlisted the help of Bishop Shane Parker who wrote a letter that was also used in the application for CMHC funding.

Eves says the other mission critical factor is the dedication and expertise of the Saumure Group, the Smiths Falls-based contractor with extensive experience in building rentals in small towns. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Chris Saumure, the president and Chris Haines, vice president, donated “thousands of hours in-kind” even before the project had any certainty of going ahead. They wanted to play a part in providing affordable housing to the town.

During the formative stage, back in 2019, Carebridge enlisted Cahdco, the Ottawa non-profit affordable housing developer, as project co-ordinator to help navigate the application process with Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC). 

That paid off in July when Carebridge got $430,000 from the CMHC National Housing Co-Investment Fund. By July, construction was already more than half completed based on funding from Lanark County, Smiths Falls, St. John’s and a fundraising campaign.

Also early on, Carebridge set up a project team that streamlines communication among all the players thus expediting construction. 

The team meets regularly. From the outset, St. John’s has been represented, first by the Rev. Canon Catherine Ascah and more recently by parishioner Tammy Mulrooney.

Mulrooney says the meetings keep her informed about construction and funding details and are very beneficial. She reports back to the congregation from time to time in bulletins and reports to parish council.

A dedicated contractor, good communications, community support— these are the elements that have contributed to construction on track for completion in record time, one year from shovels in the ground. But like most projects, it will have been four years from initial inception.

There were setbacks. Initial plans to house a food bank on the ground floor had to be scrapped due to building code restrictions. The redrawing of the ground floor, adding six housing units and revising an application to CMHC, took less than a month thanks in part to the project team approach.

The residence at 44 Chambers Street will soon be home for 34 names on the Lanark County wait list of more than 800. Many have been waiting for seven years.  Eves says the wait list is growing at an unprecedented rate. “The pressures are everywhere.”

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