NEWS RELEASE
HILLCREST LODGE SENIOR APARTMENTS
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On the corner of Matchedash and Cedar Street in Orillia, on a welcoming green space with many large trees, stands a unique building, Hillcrest Lodge.
Why unique? Since 2005, it has been a home and community for 31 vulnerable seniors whose golden years would have been very much less golden without it, for there are no other facilities like it in Canada.
At Hillcrest, not a care home, but much more than an ordinary apartment, our cherished seniors are housed, provided with nutritious meals at a cost they can afford, without any subsidies from any government agency whatsoever.
This is possible because we are a charitable, non-profit corporation with minimal staff (one general manager, cooks, servers and one maintenance person) and a working Board of Directors who are all volunteers.
For most organizations, the COVID years have been challenging, but by working closely with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, we have been able to avoid any COVID outbreaks, and keep our very vulnerable population as safe as possible. On-site vaccinations (all four) were arranged for all staff and tenants, with a 100 per cent uptake.
Following the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit guidelines, our common dining room has been closed, and all meals are individually delivered to each apartment, causing much additional labour cost. As you have no doubt noticed, food and utility costs have also skyrocketed.
Revenue was further lost, as caution prevented us from being able to rent apartments that became vacant during the height of the epidemic as we had no way of arranging quarantine for prospective tenants.
Not only that, as the building is starting to show its age, we are faced with high replacement costs for things like a hot water boiler and the individual heating, ventilating and cooling units in each apartment which are breaking down and for which spare parts are becoming unavailable.
Our reserves are taking a beating, so we are forced to take measures that we have never done before in the 15 years that we have been operating — that is raise money from the incredibly generous citizens of Orillia.
Tax deductible cheques can be mailed to or dropped off at Hillcrest Lodge Corporation, 86 Cedar St., Orillia, Ont., L3V 2C5. Payments can be sent to Nadia Krane, our general manager, who can be reached at 705-259-2240 or by email.
Alternately, donations can be made directly online as Hillcrest Lodge is a registered charity with them.
Please help us keep a very worthwhile affordable housing facility viable. Our seniors will be extremely grateful.
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