Last Monday, the EllisDon Project Advisory & Management and Daniels Construction Teams reached a successful occupancy milestone for the Friends of Ruby Home.The residence (named after Ruby the acting support dog) will welcome 33 homeless LGBTIQ+ youth and will be Canada’s first and only facility (and only the ninth in the world) that will combine counselling services for Youth Outreach, with emergency and transitional housing, dedicated to serving homeless LGBTIQ+ youth.

Photo: Friends of Ruby

EllisDon’s Cara Grant, Senior Project Manager and Allegra Markus, Assistant Project Manager, provided assistance in a Project Management consultant role under EllisDon's Project Advisory & Management Team.

The project included the reconstruction of an existing 1870’s historic building and an extensive renovation to a 1970’s apartment building, with a new link building interconnecting the two existing buildings with almost 100 years between them.

Photo: Friends of Ruby

Several of the rooms available are earmarked for youths in need of emergency shelter. It's a critical service, especially in these months of a pandemic and dropping temperatures, for a group that makes up 25-40% of the homeless youth in Toronto.Beyond the initial 33 occupants, the home will have a lasting positive impact over the months and years on Toronto's LGBTIQ+ youth community.To learn more about Friends of Ruby Home, click the links below:
The Huffington Post
The Globe and Mail
Building.ca