In rural Haliburton County, Ontario, a small and mighty team is addressing the community’s lack of affordable housing head-on.
At the end of 2023, Places for People celebrated a huge milestone: they met their very first community bond raise’s $850,000 goal — in just 10 weeks. Their success is thanks to a dedicated, close-knit community, which Places for People has spent years connecting with and supporting.
Jody Curry, president of Places for People, speaks at an event celebrating the organization’s successful community bond raise.
The $850,000 raised will help Places for People consolidate its assets so they’re in a better position to act fast and purchase new properties when they become available. The need is great in Haliburton County, one of the lowest-income counties in the province, where the seasonal economy (Places for People vice president Fay Martin calls it “cottage country”) means that come autumn, many residents are out of work.
Jody Curry speaks with Haliburton County community members.
President of the organization, Jody Curry said the community bond raise helped Places for People get the word out about homelessness. But it also presented an opportunity to better understand how the lack of affordable housing touches just about every community member.
“Rural and urban communities are very different,” Jody said. “When you live in a rural community, everybody, in some way or another, has a story to tell us. Everybody had a story that their sister’s been living in their basement, or about the guy they tried to hire but he couldn’t find anywhere to live, or the hospital nurse who quit because she was tired of driving from Bracebridge. The stories were endless.”
Tapestry Community Capital and Places for People team members.
Jody said the team is thrilled to see their hard work on the campaign pay off. “It feels good,” she said. “We’re a real grassroots organization, and always have been, and have always believed that our community would help us. And they always have. That’s the neat thing about a small organization with no staff — people understand that we’re all volunteers and we’re just trying to make something happen.”
Please join us in congratulating Places for People! Tapestry is proud to support this important work.
