Emily Murphy Centre hopes new tiny homes will have big impact

Co-chairs Martin Ritsma and Natalie Moore, executive director Lisa Wilde and board members Mary Lindsey and Chloe Miller announce the Emily Murphy Centre’s Tiny Homes … Big Impact campaign, a $1.2 million fundraiser that will go towards new tiny homes that will act as satellite spaces to its Barron Street headquarters.

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Since the Emily Murphy Centre’s inception in 1988, it’s always had a waitlist. Now, with the new Tiny Homes … Big Impact campaign, the local women’s housing facility means to shorten that list.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Lisa Wilde, executive director of the centre. “… We've been open for 37 years, and in that 37 years we have always carried a waitlist, sometimes greater than others. It shot up during COVID, when we had 83 families waiting for a safe place to live. That number has thankfully started to come down, but we know what housing is like, and we know what safe housing is like, not only in Stratford, but across Ontario, and we are doing our small part to make sure that women and children have a safe place to be and to live and to thrive.”

The centre launched the Tiny Homes … Big Impact campaign on April 20 at its Barron Street location. It is a community-driven initiative with the goal of building five new tiny homes on their existing land: safe, private and supportive housing that will act just as all of the centre’s spaces do, providing counselling, safety planning, life-skills development and connections to community resources that support women as they rebuild confidence and move toward long-term stability.

The campaign responds to a growing need for second stage housing for women who have experienced violence, with or without children, in Stratford and Perth County. It will focus on building awareness, strengthening community connections and mobilizing support to raise the $1.2 million needed to bring this transformative project to life – helping change lives today while creating lasting impact for generations to come.

The materials for the tiny homes have been donated by Blue Branch and New Housing, meaning the campaign is already halfway to its goal. The remaining $600,000 needed from the community will go towards the infrastructure needed to service the homes.

The initiative will be led by co-chairs Martin Ritsma, mayor of the City of Stratford and Natalie Moore, consultant and founder of Moore Creative.

“It feels like a creative solution to a problem,” Moore said. “So the waitlist being the problem, the tiny homes is a creative solution because obviously it's harder to expand the building – so a fast solution to a creative problem. … For me, that is really the exciting piece behind it. Not only is it the impact of giving back to our community, but it's also super exciting to see this happen.”

“We talk about a waitlist, but I wonder how many aren't on the waitlist because of that fear of ‘Where do I go?’” added Ritsma. “… We need to support women in those situations and children in those situations. When I was in education, I would see those scenarios. And now I'm in a position where I can do something positive and constructive.”

The Emily Murphy Centre is calling on community members, businesses and philanthropic partners to support the Tiny Homes…Big Impact campaign through donations, sponsorship and advocacy. Organizers say every contribution moves the project closer to reality – strengthening the community, addressing second stage housing needs and helping create safer, healthier futures for those most in need.

Campaign organizers hope shovels can be in the ground for the homes this fall, though it will depend on the community’s participation.

As Wilde said, the ultimate goal is to create a community in which the need for the centre is a thing of the past; however, if the tiny homes built are a success and their waitlist continues to grow as it is now, more tiny homes may be built in response.

Those interested in donating can do so online at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/emily-murphy-second-stage-residences/.

Additionally, a public campaign launch with community members is planned for June 4 at Ritsma’s barn on Kelly’s Lane. More details for that launch are forthcoming.