About the Lodge
Our mission is to seek out seniors who have low incomes, who may have been marginalized by society and provide them with:
- A safe, secure and affordable place to live,
- Three nutritious meals a day,
- A community to become part of.
We have found that by doing this the tenant's dignity is restored, they are healthier and less burden on the health care system, they have a community to interact with and their challenges become less important in their lives.
FACILITY HISTORY
In the 1950’s a private nursing home was given to St. Paul’s Church (Orillia) and Hillcrest Lodge Corporation was formed to operate the nursing home. Through a number of years, with struggles along the way, the Home was sold to the Toronto United Church Council (TUCC) and then leased to Soldiers Memorial Hospital as an outpatient clinic campus. With poor funding is was eventually returned to TUCC.
Ken McMullen was looking for money for the homeless committee at St Pauls, at about the time the facility was returned to TUCC. He had a vision to combine the remaining Hillcrest treasury with the facility to create what now exists.
A Board of Directors was formed and were able to persuade TUCC to contribute the building if the organization could manage to pull together the remaining portions of the plan to build housing facility.
An architect was hired and an application for the renovation funding, under a Federal/Provincial affordable housing program, was successful.
Part of the commitment was to accept 7 individuals with mental and/or physical handicaps as tenants. The board anticipated that this could create problems for the operation and Ken, wisely, contacted Helping Hands and made a deal to lease space to them so that they could provide PSW services to the tenants who needed it. Although Helping Hands no longer maintain an on-site presence at Hillcrest, they and other other organizations continue to offer services to the tenants as required.
The difficult renovation process was completed and the first tenants moved into their apartments in June of 2008. It is the strength and commitment from the well rounded volunteer board of directors that is key to the success of Hillcrest Lodge.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael C. Jones - President
C.R. (Bob) Goodwin – Secretary Treasurer
David Stinson – Director
Barry Keen – Director
Maureen Blake – Director
Carolyn Bowman – Director
STAFF
Ky Pruesse – Administation and Development Coordinator
Alan Bayne - Food Services Coordinator
Harold (Bernie) Durant - Maintenance Coordinator