Georgian College and the Barrie mayor’s office have partnered on two new “social impact” projects that are aimed at addressing affordable housing, social isolation and access to healthy food.
“This is about helping seniors age well at home, helping students find housing and helping residents get affordable, nutritious food through innovative partnerships that tackle root causes,” Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman said in a statement.
The first project that’s in development is an adaption of the HomeShare programm which is currently operated out of Toronto by the National Institute for Care of the Elderly in partnership with the city and the University of Toronto.
It matches adults aged 55-plus who are wanting to share their home with local university or college students who are seeking affordable housing.
In exchange for reduced rent, the student provides companionship and assistance with light household tasks, including preparing and sharing meals, cleaning up, carrying groceries or walking a pet.
Georgian College and the City of Barrie are scaling the program and will aim at making 10 matches with students and adults for September. The program will be open to all students, both domestic and international.
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The second project, which is still in the ideation stage, will explore food insecurity by building a social enterprise through the use of technology. The project will utilize a mobile application that aggregates produce and other items close to their expiry date, making them available for purchase at a significant discount.
The second project aims to help increase access to fresh food at an affordable price.
Georgian College and the City of Barrie are interested in leveraging the second project in combination with other food insecurity initiatives to increase access to fresh food in Barrie’s “food deserts,” places where residents don’t have access to affordable, nutritious food.
“Georgian and the City of Barrie are already great partners, and this is another example of how we can work together in support of the community and our students,” MaryLynn West-Moyes, Georgian College’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
“Together, we can address some very complex social issues, providing our students with a rich learning experience and a home.”
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