The vote is in! Youth weigh in on our Legacy Project design By: greening homes

March 9, 2016
Community

It’s official! On March 6, the youth of Eva’s Phoenix voted on their favourite design.

Several months ago the Canada Green Building Council CaGBC-Greater Toronto Chapter (CaGBC-GTC) approached Greening Homes to volunteer our time and skills to ‘bring the outdoors in’ at the new Eva’s Phoenix location, as part of the National CaGBC’s Legacy Project.

This project is part of the National CaGBC’s annual Conference and Expo, called Building Lasting Change, and will be in Toronto in June.

A facility for homeless and at-risk youth in Toronto, Eva’s Phoenix is relocating and losing access to their outdoor green space. CaGBC and Greening Homes presented the youth with two options: benches and planters, and a hammock island hitched to two palm trees.

With Eva’s Phoenix relocating, the facility was an excellent choice for the Legacy Project. The facility provides transitional housing for 50 homeless youth at a time (ages 16 -24) for up to a full year, and employment and pre-apprenticeship programs for 150 homeless youth annually. It’s the only transitional shelter for youth of its kind in Canada.

Eva’s youth were involved in the entire process: from the initial design charrette – where they determined important features they wanted to see inside their new home – to the final vote on the winning design.

The youth chose the benches.

Greening Homes will get to work building the benches in time for CaGBC’s Building Lasting Change conference in June. We will blog about our progress. Stay tuned!

If you would like to learn more about this project, please click here.

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, or donating materials, please contact dmchugh@gta.cagbc.org.

 
Greening Homes - Palm Tree 1