Youth living at Ohana Landing will soon have access to a new tool that will help them with an essential life skill.
Construction of a teaching kitchen and programming space at the London Rd. transitional housing facility is hoped to wrap up by the end of October.
Owner Tammy Vandenheuvel said clients will learn about cooking, and food safety.
She hopes it will turn into a social enterprise where youth will be taught about business and how to run a café.
"It's been very difficult for youth to find and secure housing, especially when they have situations at home where they cannot reside at home, so they're essentially homeless," said Vandenheuvel. "That's the whole premise behind Ohana Landing, it's a hand up. It allows them to have a safe place to live and learn those essential life skills, teaching skills, and social skills."
Vandenheuvel said the project is progressing well.
"We have walls, it's all painted and we're waiting for the cupboards to come in and the flooring is in," she said. "I'm hoping, maybe by the end of October it will be done. It's been a little bit slower, as everybody knows, because of some issues with COVID and getting either the labour or the product."
Part of the project will also see an office built for support workers.
The project received $20,000 under Libro's 2022 grant program recently. Around $90,000 of the total $140,000 cost was funded by the County of Lambton. Ohana Landing is also undertaking various community fundraising initiatives.
Ohana Landing currently serves nine youth and five children under three years of age.
