House to Home may soon be homeless

Ottawa charity helping refugees needs help House to Home has six weeks to find a new warehouse, but have no money to pay rent. CTV’s Shaun Vardon reports.

When refugee and asylum seekers are starting a new life in Ottawa, a local charity called House to Home is one of the first stops many make after they find a place to live.

The charity has helped more than 500 families so far by supplying everything they might need to furnish a new home, all for free.

Along with helping new families, the charity also provides employment to three refugees, two from Afghanistan and one from Ukraine. All were originally clients of House to Home, now helping others build a new life.

Suzi Shore Sauvé started House to Home out of her garage in the fall of 2020. It quickly grew, moving into storage units and now occupies 10,000 square feet in a former grocery store.

A local construction company donated the space but now, 18 months later, the owner plans to demolish the building and redevelop the property. House to Home has been asked to leave.

They have six weeks to find a new location, Sauvé says, and options are limited. They will most likely have to close if they cannot find a new space.

With resources limited and $13,000 in monthly operating expenses, House to Home is cash strapped. Paying rent is out of the question for the charity, unless they secure stable funding.

Currently, the charity's only income comes from a modest pickup charge donors pay and small donations from the community. The rest comes out of Sauve’s own pocket.

“We have all the same expenses as any business, except luckily we don’t have rent, but we have our insurance, gas bills, truck bills, salaries,” Sauvé said. “I’m really happy and proud of the work we have done I’m just nervous for the next 500 if we are not able to help them.”

Donations can be made on the charity's website.