No more leaking faucets and flooded basements.
Salvation Army’s Multicultural Family Centre is getting a $4.5-million facelift and a new building.
“When I first started here four years ago, the building was in bad shape,” executive director Wendi Park said. “Today our dreams became reality.”
The centre, at 51 Morrow Ave., is nestled in a close-knit community of apartment buildings and public housing units.
It’s a meeting place for people of different cultural backgrounds and economic backgrounds, Park said.
The site offers many programs including employment training, a youth drop-in centre, a food bank and programming for war-affected children.
“This is a perfect area for this type of programming,” said Premier Greg Selinger, who attended Monday’s sod-turning, along with MP Shelly Glover, Coun. Gord Steeves and Salvation Army commissioner John Nelson.
“It’s densely populated, there is affordable housing. It’s a place where people can start their lives fresh,” he added.
Glover said she used the family centre when she was a young, single mother.
“This place is especially close to my heart as I was a young mom who lived in this area,” said Glover.
“I really don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have the support from the centre.”
Neighbourhood resident Lori Vaandering couldn’t agree more.
Vaandering has lived in the area for six years with her young children, Kieran and Kamryn.
“I’ve used the mother and child programming and the food bank,” said Vaandering.
“This place really brings people together, it’s a place to meet and socialize.”
Salvation Army Capt. Tiffany Marshall said she was surprised how quickly the project got underway.
“We started talking to (Provencher MP) Vic Toews about this a year and a half ago,” she said. “When we heard we got the funding it was like ‘Hallelujah!’ ”
Construction starts in two weeks and is to be finished in March 2011.
The federal and provincial governments will each providing up to $1.5 million. The Salvation Army will contribute the remaining funding.
britt.harvey@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 20, 2010 B3
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