Ottawa organization furnishing homes for refugees to close

An organization that furnishes homes for refuges is set to close after losing its largest storage space. CTV’s Peter Szperling reports.

House to Home, an Ottawa organization that furnishes homes for refugees, says it’s closing after losing its largest storage space.

“This is one of the most difficult posts I have had to make, and I do so with a heavy heart. H2H will be closing,” the organization said in a social media post late Monday.

“This is our last chance because once again, we will be without space, we are losing our largest storage space which was generously donated by Dymon. We have done our best to keep serving families while running to storage units all over the city, it’s truly not sustainable.”

Dymon Storage tells CTV News Ottawa it has had a long relationship with House to Home and it is working with the organization to find a reasonable solution, including a possible extension. It adds it provides space and supplies to many philanthropic organizations.

House to Home founder Suzi Shore Sauvé told CTV News Ottawa on Tuesday that volunteers have already started to shut the organization down.

She says the current space, a large storage unit at a Dymon facility on Walkley Road, became its headquarters after the organization lost its space at Westgate Mall late last year.

“Thankfully with their generosity, we’ve been able to run for the last eight months. But now, it’s coming to an end,” she said.

According to House to Home, 2,700 refugee families with an average of four people in each family have been helped by the organization.

Shore Sauvé says the organization would “jump on” the opportunity if another space was donated.

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