​​Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying “Only a life lived for others is worth living” and I couldn’t agree more. Over the last 5 years, my role and involvement with Redwood has been a varied one.  I have cleaned apartments, delivered food, gathered clothing or donations (and served as a very unqualified stylist), washed dishes, babysat children, eaten delicious food and shared many a cup of coffee or tea.

​One thing that has been constant however, is that many of my best memories have been made, and continue to be made, over food and around the table. Whether it was stirring chocolate over a stove during an Easter chocolate making event or drinking coffee and holding babies while sitting around the living room at United House, I have so many beautiful memories of food and community. 

​One could wonder, why would Redwood start its own Furniture Bank? 

We've got not just one good reason, but two. 

Later this month, Redwood will launch Barrie's first YIMBY week, and all YIMBYers are invited!

What's YIMBY?
YIMBY stands for "Yes In My Back Yard" and it is a social movement that has risen up in cities all over North America to combat NIMBYism, or "Not In My Back Yard."

Most people agree that homelessness is a shame, and that affordable housing needs to be developed, but some people say, "Yes, somewhere else, but not here."
(You know, YSWEBNH ...just kidding, that's not a thing.)

​The YIMBY movement looks a little different in each city. In some places it involves activism around zoning bylaws. But we think the REAL reason people don't want "other" people in their neighbourhood is because they just don't know them yet.

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​Every day people impact their community in many different ways without even realizing that they have done so.

I - Inspirational
M - Movement
P - Positive
A - Action
C - Community
T – Together

The motel conversion project at the former Barr’s Motel has been a collaborative labour of community love for the last couple years. As we drew close to opening the doors to provide safe and affordable housing for individuals experiencing long term homelessness, we needed a name for our project worthy of it’s vast importance in our community.

We engaged people who have had experience in homelessness to weigh in with their thoughts for naming this building. It did not take long before a theme emerged.

Heartbreakingly, we have lost way too many people experiencing homelessness over the years, but one person had made particular impact on the community as a whole. ​

​Doing this work, we've learned a lot about homelessness. Coming face to face with individuals has sometimes challenged our unconscious ideas of what homelessness looks like. Sometimes, still, we come up against some misconceptions that can distract from the solutions to the affordable housing crisis, and be downright harmful.  Here are a few myths about homelessness.

So what can we do in the face of all this?  We can start dispelling these myths, for a start.  We can set an example each in our own small way by welcoming new affordable housing in our neighbourhoods, building open community with individuals different from ourselves, donating to initiatives that support affordable housing options, and speaking up for legislation and budgeting that works to alleviate poverty and homelessness.  

For more information, check out these resources:

As we get closer and closer to opening the doors on our motel conversion, a project in partnership with the David Busby Centre, some of our support community may be wondering what a "Housing First" community is all about, and how a person might qualify to live at Lucy's Place.   ​

If there's one thing that we do well at Redwood (Ok, we do lots of things well, but this one is the most important) it's community.  

So when it was time to host a night to raise funds for our Hope through Housing capital campaign, we made it a community affair. Like a neighbourhood barbecue...if your neighbourhood is all of Barrie.