HSH looking ahead to 2026

Dear Home Suite Hope Supporters, Partners, and Friends,

As we welcome a new year, I find myself reflecting on just how far we have come together — and how profoundly grateful I am for the community that surrounds our families, our staff, and our mission.

2024 was not an easy year. Rising housing costs and fiscal pressures forced us to make incredibly difficult decisions for 2025, including reducing the number of participants in our programs and preparing for potential staffing cuts. It was a moment that could have signaled contraction.

Instead, thanks to your support, your belief in us, and the extraordinary resilience of our team, 2025 became one of the most transformational in our history.

In direct alignment with our Strategic Plan, we expanded our programming in ways that truly changed what is possible for single parents in Halton. We opened two new programs — Pathways Forward and Haven to Home — so that single mothers and fathers who do not qualify for Homeward Bound still have a path toward stability and self-sufficiency. With these additions, we more than doubled the number of families we serve in a single year. For the first time, we welcomed single dads and working single parents into our programming, allowing us to meet long-standing needs that too often went unseen.

This growth was made possible by opportunities we once could only hope for. We secured new grants — some that we had never before qualified for.

We established new affordable housing partnerships, adding three units this year: one with One Urban and two with Argo Development Corporation. We also advanced an ambitious partnership to secure 25 affordable units in Oakville, a project that promises to change the future for generations of families.

Already, we have welcomed 41 participants into our programs, with more than ten additional families waiting to join us in the first weeks of the new year.

None of this progress was guaranteed. In fact, we ended 2024 with our first financial loss in seven years. Options were narrowing, and the uncertainty around housing funding cast a shadow over our plans. But thanks to the extraordinary work of our grant writing and development teams—led by Grant Strategies & Solutions — and thanks to our partnership with Halton Women’s Place, we experienced a remarkable turnaround. We nearly doubled our program capacity and have been able to bring on new staff to support the growth we once weren’t sure we could sustain.

Even with this momentum, important work lies ahead.

We have made tremendous strides in rejuvenating our Board, but we must now turn our attention to growing mentorship and Industry Council volunteer networks beyond Oakville.

Third-party events were a great success this past year, but continuing to strengthen these efforts will be essential for meeting our 2026 strategic targets. And while we secured a much-needed $40,000 increase to our housing subsidy allotment, we know that once the Oakville partnership is complete, we will require $360,000 annually to sustain that level of support.

Through every challenge and every triumph, one thing has remained constant: the strength and heart of our community.

To our staff — thank you for the tireless, frontline work you do every day. To our donors — your generosity keeps our doors open and our programs alive.To our community partners and event hosts— thank you for standing with us.To our participants — your courage and determination inspire everything we do. And to you, our supporters, thank you for believing in this mission so deeply.

As we step into 2026, I ask that you continue to keep Home Suite Hope close to your heart. Please consider championing us within your companies’ social responsibility committees, hosting donation drives throughout the year for gift cards, cleaning supplies, and feminine hygiene products, and helping us spread the word about the urgent need for volunteer mentors and industry partners. Your support — consistent, year-round — makes all the difference.

Together, we have accomplished what once felt impossible. Together, we will continue building a community where every single parent has the opportunity to move from crisis to stability — and from stability to hope.

Wishing you and your loved ones a bright, healthy, and hope-filled New Year.

With deepest gratitude, 

Sara J. Cumming, PhD

Executive Director 

Home Suite Hope