The Cochrane & Area United Way Partnership Committee is changing its funding approach in hopes of increasing the funds it will raise and maximizing benefits to local non-profit organizations in the community.
According to a statement released by the committee, in previous years it had distributed an average of $90,000 each year to local non-profit groups. The total was made up from United Way of Calgary, as well as funds raised by the local committee. It would pool this money and distribute it through local grants.
This year, the portion it receives from United Way of Calgary will be distributed through the application and grant process and the money it gets from local fundraising will go directly towards a local Cochrane organization – this year being the Cochrane Society for Housing Options (CSHO).
“This is sort of a pilot project for us because we’ve never done it like this before,” said Brenda Sine, chairperson with the committee. “What we’ve done before is had our fundraiser and we just put it in the general pot and when the grants went out, it was part of the granting process.”
“The main reason is we’re quite aware of the need for affordable housing in Cochrane,” explained Sine. “Housing is a pretty basic thing. One of the pillars of sustainability for Cochrane is that everybody has a roof over their head, but it’s not happening.”
This year’s fundraiser is a raffle that will be running during the months of August and September to raise money that will go directly to the CSHO. Tickets for the raffle are only $5 and the grand prize will be two tickets to anywhere WestJet flies.
Sine said that the CSHO received grants to build 12 new units of affordable housing, but still need $100,000 to start the process of offering them to the community. Sine said the Cochrane & Area United Way Partnership Committee hopes to raise $10,000 this year through its fundraiser.
“The big thing is we’re trying to get people to understand what affordable housing means,” explained Sine.
She said it is often people who are moving to Cochrane and just getting started, such as teachers or young professionals, who are finding it difficult to find affordable housing within the town.
“We’re talking about people who have jobs and can’t get into the market. Cochrane’s demographic is that we don’t have a lot of 20-to-30-somethings because they can’t afford to get into our market. And we desperately need those people as part of our community.”
Sine said they would be selling the raffle tickets at various locations around Cochrane, including at the Cochrane Farmers Market, where they will have a table set up.
The winner will be announced at the Wellness Fair in Cochrane, Oct. 25.
