Hope Garden set to brighten space for Halifax Centre of Hope residents

The Halifax Centre of Hope is currently putting the finishing touches on its Hope Garden project.

The project has reclaimed some outdoor space adjacent to the Centre that had fallen into disrepair, becoming a dumping ground and after-hours hang-out. Recently a new chain link fence was installed, and work began on cleaning and reorganizing the space.

The project is nearly complete, apart from some final tasks including bringing in six benches for seating in the garden. What was once overgrown, out of control and full of garbage, is now a picturesque urban garden, with a winding path, a large built-in semi-circle bench, newly planted trees and bushes, and the ground manicured with fresh cedar mulch. Soon the garden will be open, giving residents essentially a back yard to walk, sit or chat, away from the busyness of the downtown core.

The project received nearly $5,000 in funding from Domus Realty ‘s “A Home for Everyone Fund”, which helped launch the garden from vision to reality.

For Captain Bill Preston, who recently celebrated his first anniversary as Executive Director of the facility, seeing the project near completion is exciting. In addition to taking a space that had become a negative for the community, and turning it into a resounding positive, the opportunity to offer clients at the facility their own outdoor space is key.

“The idea is to give the men a place where they can go and sit down in seclusion with their thoughts, to reminisce and reflect in a quiet spot, as opposed to being out on the streets,” he says “It has really become a nice spot.”

An added benefit is the feeling of ownership that the clients receive by investing their own efforts to preserve their new-found space. Residents will help keep the space in tip top shape, maintaining flowers and plants, weeding, and cleaning the grounds.