LakeCity Works is moving on from its Tiny Home Lottery into manufacturing affordable homes.
The organization that helps people with mental illness access work experience, education and employment has run its popular Tiny Home Lottery for three years, but this year's lottery will be the last.
“The Lottery has been incredibly popular,” Sophie Eld, Director of Business Continuity at LakeCity Works, said in a news release. “We couldn’t be prouder of the work our team has done and grateful for how the community embraced this project. We want our supporters to know why we’re moving away from the Tiny Home Lottery. That it’s for the best possible reason.
“Today, I have the pleasure of announcing LakeCity’s evolution from advocacy to a different type of action,” said Eld. “We’ve received $60,000 in funding from the federal government’s Investment Readiness Program, which we’ll use to stimulate a new social enterprise at LakeCity, manufacturing affordable homes.”
Discussions are already taking place and plans being finalized to supply several homes to a yet-to-be-named local community partner.
“It was a natural progression for us,” Liam O’Rourke, Executive Director at LakeCity Works, said in the news release. “We have the expertise and experience. We have the necessary infrastructure. Our community has a serious need for affordable homes. And we’re always looking for opportunities to create more jobs for our clients.”
Eld said LakeCity exists to empower people to thrive and the funding will help the organization have a greater impact.
LakeCity was launched in 1972 and became an official charity in 1982. Services have evolved over the years to include workworking, wood shop and retail business, access to counselling and coaching services and other programs and opportunities.
The Tiny Home Lottery saw the construction of three custom-built tiny homes over the past three years by expert woodworkers and youth and then raffled off in a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to support client programs.
The final draw for the LakeCity Tiny Home will take place on March 12. Tickets are $25 for one and $100 for five and are available until March 8. They can be purchased online at www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/lakecityworks or LakeCity Woodworkers retail showroom on 386 Windmill Road in Dartmouth.
