On June 18th Options Bytown Launches Capital Campaign to Mark 25 Years of Providing Permanent Housing and Ending Homelessness

For 25 years, Options Bytown has been successfully housing the homeless by instilling hope and providing the most vulnerable people in Ottawa with the skills they need to live independently in the community. Options Bytown has ensured that hundreds of men and women have been able to leave homeless shelters and move to permanent housing – and stay there.

But the number of people who need supportive housing continues to grow and to date has reached a striking 2,000. As a result of this growing need, Options Bytown will be launching its capital fundraising campaign on June 18th to ensure that even more people in Ottawa have homes, hope and a brighter future.

The 25th anniversary celebration will be held at Meryle Cameron Hall, Ottawa Police Association. Members of the media are welcomed.

The open-to-the-public celebration event will be a time to recognize the supportive housing organization’s accomplishments in providing Housing First services in Ottawa. The event will also celebrate a new page for Options Bytown by launching its fundraising campaign to build an apartment building for 50 people who are in desperate need of permanent, affordable, safe and supportive housing.

The keynote speaker for this event is Frank O’Dea. As a young man, he was a homeless person, living on the streets, panhandling for nickels and dimes. Today, he is a renowned and celebrated business person. Best known as a founder of The Second Cup, he also was involved in founding a number of other successful international businesses and not-for-profits. He has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada and two Canadian universities have awarded him honorary degrees. This is an inspiring story of resilience and triumph in the face of adversity, which is also recounted in his best-selling book “When All You Have is Hope”. He is also the author of Do-the-Next-Right-Thing: Surviving Life’s Crises.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 613-241-6363 x223 or at www.optionsbytown.com Date: June 18, 2015 Time: 5: 30pm to 7:30pm Location: Meryle Cameron Hall, Ottawa Police Association, 141 Catherine St., Ottawa ON