By Bola Ogunmefun
Operation Go Home, an organization devoted to reuniting runaway and homeless youth with their families, must find a new home, says Leslie Greene, director of communications and public relations for the organization.
The nonprofit organization has occupied a rent-free office in the parking complex next to the Rideau Centre for 18 years. It has until January to relocate, says Greene.
“We haven’t paid rent, the Rideau Centre gives it to us in kind,” says Greene.
Location is central to Operation Go Home’s work.
“We need to be downtown, we need to be visible and it’s really expensive to be in the downtown core.”
Operation Go Home has been looking for a new office for more than a year, she says.
The Rideau Centre has given them a couple of extensions, says Greene. At one point, the mall offered to donate the old registry building on Nicholas Street but there is a re-development planned for the property where the registry sits, so the building cannot stay there.
The mall has offered to pay the cost to move that building to another site, but Operation Go Home has been unable to find another location for it.
“It was a wonderful idea and it was very generous of them to do that, but unfortunately it hasn’t really pulled anything together,” says Greene.
Cindy VanBuskirk, director of marketing and leasing at the Rideau Centre, says the mall has been contemplating a retail expansion for about four or five years.
VanBuskirk says they plan to develop the vacant site, east of the existing Rideau Centre, an area currently occupied by Operation Go home.
“We’ve been a very good corporate citizen for that period of time, and would like to continue to help Operation Go Home by donating this building [the old registry] to them,” says VanBuskirk. “Unfortunately they can’t seem to find a site for the building.”
VanBuskirk says the offer to pay for the relocation still stands.
“We believe that they provide a really important service to the community and we’re anxious to see that they continue to exist and grow and keep doing what they do,” says VanBuskirk.
Denise Vallely, director of community programs at the Youth Services Bureau, says they work closely with Operation Go Home and other youth service agencies in Ottawa.
Vallely says the greatest impact of the move is that it could become difficult for youth to access the services offered.
“Their service is really essential, they’re very successful in connecting people with their families,” says Vallely.
Greene says they have gone public with their search, hoping someone will offer some suggestions.
“It’s important because the youth don’t have the ability to travel far to get to us, so we would have to be in a location that is accessible and all the shelters for youth are downtown,” says Greene.
“We couldn’t have somewhere like the Parkdale area, because they wouldn’t be able to access it.”