Thursday, September 28, 2023 — Ottawa, ON – On Saturday, local MPP John Fraser met with the team at OCH Foundation to hear more about the $118,800 Resilient Community Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) that will be used to rebuild the recLINK program. This funding is crucial to meeting the increasing needs of tenants living within OCH communities and conducting research to respond to new and emerging demands.
“This OTF investment in the recLINK program of Ottawa Community Housing Foundation will allow them to have fulsome community conversations and do research on the recovery and future of sports/recreation in Ottawa.” said John Fraser, MPP for Ottawa South. “Programs like recLINK are needed and are beneficial to not only the communities in my riding of Ottawa South like Blair Court, Confederation Court and Russell Heights Community Houses but across all of Ottawa in every OCH community. Each recLINK participant benefits from about 25 hours of programming annually, at no cost to the family”. RecLINK connects children and youth, 6-18 years old, to arts, camps and sport programs that are individually tailored to their interests. Approximately 12,000 children and youth live in OCH communities. Children living in low-income families are 44% less likely to participate in sports and recreation than their counterpart in higher income categories. While cost of equipment and registration fees is a main barrier, many families are also dealing with complex stressors such as food security, employment loss, personal and family safety, reduced social supports, access to mental health support, etc. RecLINK provides no-cost sports and recreation. Case managers engage families and break down barriers such as language, technology, and transportation.
“This Ontario Trillium Foundation grant has a significant impact on our recLINK capacity.” said Angela Bégin, Executive Director of the OCH Foundation. “This grant has allowed us to regain pre-Covid numbers while rebuilding important relationships within OCH communities throughout the City of Ottawa. These funds will allow us to have conversations on our short term and long-term goals by connecting with tenants and responding to their needs. We also want to congratulate the Ontario Trillium Foundation on 40 years of granting and building healthy and vibrant communities across the province.”
About the OCH Foundation
The OCH Foundation is committed to the 32,000 tenants living in Ottawa Community Housing. The Foundation helps families, youth and children achieve personal success through education, employment, and community engagement projects. The Foundation has raised over 11 million dollars since its inception-Visit ochfoundation.ca for more information.
About the Ontario Trillium Foundation
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grant-making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:
Briar Gornall, Communications and Engagement Coordinator
(613) 697-0824 – Briar.Gornall@ochfoundation.ca
