Harding's Painting brightens living environment of homeless in transitional housing

Giving can take many forms. For the partners of Harding's Painting, giving means using their talents, time and energy to improve the living conditions of Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre clients at Centre 110, a 59 bed transitional housing unit at 110 - 11 Ave. S.E. On February 23 and 24, ten members of the Harding's Painting team descended on the building and gave the interior a fresh coat of paint to lift the spirits of the residents.

"Having their living space spruced up is very important for the clients living at Centre 110," says Brenda Ibechi, RSW, Intake Counsellor, Centre 110. "Centre 110 provides a safe, clean and affordable environment for adult men to transition back into society after having experienced homelessness. Each resident is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the space but, the living spaces were looking tired. Having Harding's Painting come in and put a fresh coat of paint on the walls made an enormous difference to the environment, and to each resident's sense of well-being."

The Drop-In opened Centre 110 as a transitional housing facility in 1996. To be eligible for residency an individual must be clean and sober for a minimum of 30 days. The average length of residence is 6 months to a year with most individuals moving into independent living after their tenure at Centre 110. Housing is provided on two floors consisting of three sections. Each section has a fully functioning kitchen where residents prepare their own meals, bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities. Sleeping arrangements consist of individual cubicles sectioned off with a closet and storage shelves.

"We're delighted to be able to put our skills to work at Centre 110," says Dalton Harding, President, Harding's Painting. "We've been doing volunteer work on an ad hoc basis for several years, but this is the first year our team of contractors have formalized their community service activities. As a group, we committed $5,000 annually to charity work. Along with painting Centre 110 we will also have two individuals painting the Crisis Nursery at The Children's Cottage Society. In a city of such abundance, it's imperitive that we all give back to organizations who deliver services to less fortunate Calgarians."

Larissa Kennedy
Public Relations Assistane
Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre