THE MIRACLE AT 1197 SUTHERLAND AVE IS IN PROCESS

WHY NOW?

• Since inception Bridges has operated out of the directors home in Oyama, but with up to 4 workers on any given day we are bursting at the seams.
• Since inception in 1998 Bridges has talked about having a building to house offenders and meet administrative needs.
• We lost our Kelowna drop-in in 1996 when the host church closed its doors.
• The location of the current office in a very small rural community, gives us no visibility and limits access to personnel and other needed resources.
• Having a visible presence will significantly increase Bridges accessibility to clients, supporters, government and the public.
• Bridges is extremely grateful for two individuals who generously provided interim financing so we could close the deal

WHY THIS PROPERTY?

• Kelowna is the hub for both provincial and federal corrections in our service area (BC's southern interior).

           The property has 2900 sq ft on two floors.

• The 1450 sq ft main floor will house a drop in, 3 administrative offices and a large multipurpose room(possible uses include class or meeting room, games or exercise room, a small thrift storehouse or space to rent to another agency).
• The 1450 sq ft second floor will house 5 residents for up to 2 years, who have demonstrated sobriety and stability by successfully completing drug and alcohol treatment or a term in a halfway house. Many clients relapse at this stage due to inability to find safe affordable housing. Residents will have random room checks and drug testing combined with direct daily access to all the support services Bridges provides.
• The C4 zoning allows us to do everything we need to without rezoning.
• The property is centrally located with easy access to 3 federal halfway houses, Freedoms Door, the Capri mall, bus lines, parole and probation offices and all the amenities.

THE DILEMMA

• The estimated $750,000 total cost of the project is the equivalent of 7 years revenue for this society.
• A move to Kelowna will necessitate for the first time Bridges paying occupancy costs like mortgage, taxes, utilities etc - which for our first 9 years were covered by the director.
• Historically Bridges cash flow has barely kept pace with expenses, therefore our ability to carry debt is very limited.
• Bridges & our lendors desire to pay off the entire cost as quickly as possible so we can focus our energies on client needs..

BUILDING AQUISITION PROGRESS

We are delighted to report that October 31, 2007 Bridges took posession of our first property at 1197 Sutherland Ave. in Kelowna, BC.  After many delays we finally got our permits December 10th and thanks to the incredible help of God, many great volunteers and trades people, we were able to move in the first week of March.  We now have four tennants in the building; fencing, stucco, exterior painting , sidewalks, curbs and paving are complete and we held a successful grand opening as scheduled on April 4th. Remaining tasks include completing a 50' x 8' thrift storehouse in the breezeway between us and the neighbouring building and installing irrigation and landscaping in the back yard.  A hearty thankyou to all who have contributed thus far, including two individuals who provided $325,000 in interim financing. Please bear in mind that the project is a long ways from being paid for, and our desire is to be debt free as quickly as possible. Also property ownership will involve the society assuming a lot of expenses previously covered by our director (property taxes, insurance, utilities and building maintenance), so monthly income will need a large infusion of cash to keep things afloat. We will try to regularly update the numbers below to allow supporters to follow the unfolding progress of this miracle.

FINANCIAL STATUS

-($588,241) Paid to Purchase Property on October 30, 07

-($119,370) Original Renovations Estimate
-($  20,000) Anticipated Extra Renovation Costs

-($  42,250) Original Equipping Estimate

-($769,861) ESTIMATED TOTAL BUILDING COST INCL RENO & EQUIPING

+ $263,241 Cash Invested at Purchase & -($325,000 borrowed)

+ $134,625 Reno Monies Paid out so far including ($5,579. in 2007)

+ $  42,713 Equipping Monies Paid out so far including ($208. in 2007)

+ $  75,000 Paid off on mortgage monies (May 5, 08)

(-$259,282)  BALANCE LEFT TO RAISE as of July 20, 2008

BE PART OF THE CONTINUING MIRACLE

• Click to make an online credit card donation
• Mail us a cash donation
• Call about setting preauthorized monthly payments (1-866-548-9242)
• Call if you can help with renovating
• Pray with us for completion of this miracle