Why we love Cornerstone

*"We have to make sure that no one is homeless in a rich country like Canada."  *- Jack Layton

Just off the main street in Ottawa's Chinatown, there's a pretty four-storey apartment building with 20 apartments for senior women and 22 units for any woman in need of affordable supportive housing.

This is Cornerstone's Supportive Housing building. And we love it!


The idea for this building was born a decade ago. It’s not an emergency shelter (though Cornerstone runs one of those too) but a long-term, affordable and supportive housing solution for some of the most vulnerable women in our community. 

Why, you might ask, do we need this in one of Canada's most affluent cities? It may be hard to believe, but in 2010 over 1000 women became homeless in Ottawa.

Cornerstone was able to help just over 400 of them. We want to improve that ratio.

Basically, Cornerstone is providing the kinds of solutions we need to see more of across Canada to end homelessness, especially as an ageing population finds itself grappling with poverty. The unfortunate reality is that we have senior women living on the street in Ottawa, and most shelter facilities just aren't suited to their needs. Many of these women are not likely to ever be in a postion to get a job or live on their own, so a tailored facility like 314 Booth gives them the chance to remain in the same place as they age.

Residents are provided with beautiful and quality affordable housing units, nutritious meals, comprehensive health care, recreational and social activities, spiritual care and common spaces to have guests and visitors. It’s a great community.  

*The back garden at 314 Booth***

It took nine years to plan the building, purchase the land, and raise enough funds to build it. The seed for the project was planted almost a decade ago at the retirement party of our friend – and generous donor – Catherine Boucher, who held the first fundraiser for 314 Booth. From that grew the first and only purpose-built facility offering housing and support for homeless women in Ottawa.

Jordan and I, on behalf of Five Crew Canoe, had a chance to drop by the building yesterday as they celebrated their first birthday. And what a building! Full of joy and music, beautiful living spaces, colourful common rooms, lots of light and a friendly staff - and most of all residents who are proud to live there and be part of our community. That’s why we love Cornerstone.  

*Jordan and Kiavash with Sue Garvey, Director of Cornerstone*********During the years that Jordan ran University of Ottawa’s Women’s Resource Centre, she had to repeatedly rely on Cornerstone to support women who were dealing with affordable hoursing, mental health issues or living in poverty. The need was great and even though they were always full, Cornerstone did everything they could to help women in need.

So, the Mongol Rally is our chance to say thanks to the wonderful people behind Cornerstone and support the amazing, much-needed work they do every day. We originally targeted $1,000 to raise for Cornerstone, but thanks to all the generous donations from our friends and families, we have already raised more than $1,700! So we’ve decided to increase our target to $3,000. [Will you help us reach our new target?](http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=17102)

We need a lot more Cornerstones to make sure no one is homeless in a rich country like Canada - but having one in Ottawa is a great start.  

Introducing: our ride!

This evening a guy I don't know went to visit a guy he doesn't know at a train station I've never been to so that he could test-drive a car I've never seen and purchase it for our team's drive from London to Ulaanbaatar.

That sums up what I suspect is at the heart of the Mongol Rally experience: making new friends, testing your luck, and taking leaps of faith.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet our ride to Ulaanbaatar!

**Love at first sight:**

As you can imagine, purchasing a car is a rather essential part of preparations for the Mongol Rally. We figured this out fairly early on.

And it's no small task for five canucks: we needed a car that fits the all of us marginally more comfortably than a sedan. And we needed the car to meet the rally's rules, made after 2003 and with an engine displacement of 1.2 litres or lower. And we needed to buy it sight unseen, from half a world away.

Our options were limited, especially at our budget.

A couple of weeks ago, Jordan and Brad spotted a beautiful Piaggio Porter advertised on ebay. When Brad showed me the ad, it was love at the first sight. I actually set the picture of the car as the background on my phone. I went to visit some colleagues at a bar and spent the whole time talking about my new crush. It was embarrassing.

"But look at it!" I insisted. "It's exactly what we need: made in 2008, with just over 10,000 miles on it."

We put in a bid.

We were rejected.

Our hearts sank.

It was back to square one. Searching and searching, only to confirm the perfection of the union that was not to be.

**Pick up the phone:**

Last Thursday, I spent my lunch hour looking longingly at the picture of the car that wasn't to be. Then I thought to myself, you can't give up!

So I called the owner.

His name is Mark and he seemed genuinely excited to get a call from Canada about his Piaggio Porter. I told him about the Mongol Rally, the charities we want to support and our budget. I told him about the Cornerstone and its supportive housing for women in Ottawa and about Lotus Centre and its help to children in Ulaanbaatar. (Hint: [make a donation](index.php?mode=teamwebsites&name=five-crew-canoe&page=charities)!) And, I told him that his car would also be donated to a charity in Mongolia if/when we get there.

Mark was very interested in our adventures and the charities we're supporting. So he made us a super generous offer...that we accepted!

 **We have a hero and his name is Bryan:**

We had a deal, with only one condition: we actually needed someone to visit our Porter in flesh.

Amy approached Bryan, the brother of one of her good friends. What with Bryan being an awesome guy, he agreed to take care of the visit, kicking the tires, and giving Mark the deposit. We prepared a ridiculously long list of things to check and asked for more pictures of the car.

Bryan went to see Mark this evening, which happens to be Mark's birthday. (Happy birthday Mark! We owe you a pint.)

Tonight, we got an email from Bryan: "The van is mega sweet!"

He detailed the awesome shape it's in and sent us 49 pictures of it. I can report that at this moment, the members of the Five Crew Canoe are literally bouncing off the walls with excitement.

WE HAVE A CAR!!!

**Give her a name:**

Any car this beautiful deserves her own name. And we want you to be a part of this excitement.

Watch this space for the announcement of a super fun competition to name our noble steed. Your creative name will grace our vehicle throughout the 16,000 km of the ride to Mongolia - all for the good cause of supporting our fine charity partners.

Strangers helping strangers - what could be better?