Redwood Builds

Some of the phrases we’ve been rethinking lately really burn our biscuits. Some grind our gears.

This one just makes us sad:
“I don’t go downtown anymore.”

People point to visible homelessness, poverty, mental illness, and public substance use.

It's easy to conclude that the people we see struggling are what's making us withdraw from community life.

But what if we're really seeing two signs that our community is becoming less connected? 🤔

Research has linked greater inequality with lower social trust, greater social distance, and weaker connections across income groups.

Some people are pushed to the margins. Others have the resources to retreat from shared spaces. Either way, we end up with less community in common.

A thriving community isn't one where poverty is out of sight. It's one where fewer people are pushed out of community life in the first place.

Where people have homes, public spaces belong to all of us, where lives intersect, and where everyone has a place in the community.

Maybe the answer isn't further separation. Maybe it's rebuilding the conditions for belonging.

Get an inside look at what Redwood is building next in Orillia! 🧐

Join us to explore the plans for Bond Street and Regent Street, hear what it takes to move these projects toward construction, and learn how our community can help make 11 new affordable homes for Orillia a reality.

Thursday, November 5, 2026
5:30-8 pm
Multi-purpose Room, Orillia Recreation Centre
255 West Street S, Orillia

See you there!

RSVP 🔗 https://forms.gle/r8LafHdVNfG49gUX9

The Give Back Rack has introduced ✨Give Back Sundays✨, partnering with a local charity on the 3rd Sunday of every month.

We'll be in the store on Sunday, October 18th, to let people know more about Redwood, and we will receive 50% of the proceeds from sales that day.

Tell your friends and stop in to say hi and do a bit of shopping!

We look forward to welcoming you to our annual fall Community Update Night. (It's like an AGM, but with more stories and better snacks!) Come hear about two supportive housing projects moving forward in Orillia, our project in Midland, a resident update, and more.

Redwood Community Update Night
Thursday, October 29
92 Davidson St, Unit 1
7-8:30 pm
(doors open at 6:30 pm)

🔗 RSVP: https://forms.gle/Y2CTZb8edV83AY3m8

A phrase that really grinds our gears over here at Redwood is "Well, we need to try something!" 🙄

When people are suffering and our communities are struggling, doing nothing feels unacceptable.

So when someone proposes something — anything — it can feel wrong to push back. “At least they’re trying.” “We can’t just do nothing.” “Something has to change.”

But what if urgency is making us less careful about what we try?

Not every response moves us forward.

Some make homelessness less visible. Some spend enormous resources managing the crisis. Some can make it harder for people to trust the systems meant to help them.

✨Doing something✨ and ✨solving something✨ are not the same thing.

We don't have to choose between doing nothing and doing anything.

We can ask:
🧐 Has it worked other places?
🧐 Does it leave people safer and more stable?
🧐 Does it get us closer to the community we want to be?

We know what works: offer affordable, supportive housing and help people find and keep a home.

The goal isn't to show we're doing something. It's to help people get home.

It kinda burns our biscuits when we hear people complain, "I pay for my housing. Why should they get it for free?" 🤨

Of course, it can feel unfair. Most of us work hard to pay rent or a mortgage.

So when someone suggests deeply affordable or subsidized housing for people experiencing homelessness, it's easy to think: Why should they get housing for free when I have to pay for mine?

But what if we're paying either way?

When someone doesn't have a home, we still pay for: Emergency shelters, hospital visits, paramedics, police responses, encampment clearings, warming centres, outreach vans, meal programs, and more. Canada spends over $7 billion each year on homelessness services.

And after all that spending? Someone still doesn't have a home.

So maybe the question isn't whether we're willing to pay...we're already paying. Lots. The question is what we want our shared resources to accomplish.

We can keep paying to manage homelessness. Or we can invest in helping people leave it behind, and make everyone feel safer.

When everyone has a safe, affordable, hopeful place to call home, our whole community is better off. 💚

Friends, we need a high chair that has ✨shoulder straps✨ for a darling, wiggly baby at Jubilee House. (IYKYK) Just checking here first - if you can help us out, please email [email protected] or message us here. Thank you! 🫶

We are honoured to be the beneficiary of the upcoming Barrie Home Coming Dinner and Dance event hosted by Am Shalom Congregation on October 17!
It looks like it will be a great time. 💃🥂 🎶

🎫 Get your tickets today: www.zeffy.com/en-ca/ticketing/barrie-homecoming-dinner-and-dance

Hey friends! We love being part of someone's fresh start. 🍋‍🟩 With the help of our awesome furniture donors who shared furniture they no longer needed, we were able to furnish 14 homes in August. Thank you!