Rosewood House is set to reopen Monday, November 4 after a fire six weeks ago displaced 40 residents.
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Executive director Tim Philp said that aside from the kitchen, all the damage has been repaired, drywall installed, rooms cleaned throughout, and interiors repainted. The water damage in the basement has been repaired, and laundry machines had to be replaced.
“The only thing we’re not going to have when we open is a kitchen,” he noted. “Right now, we’re getting meals from the Salvation Army.”
The executive director said staff has been picking up pre-cooked meals at both lunch and dinner times and taking them to motels where people are staying. The dinner-time delivery includes a breakfast bag for the next morning.
“We’ve had a lot of donations from Farm Boy and other places to keep going,” he said. “When we bring people back in on Monday we are going to continue to get meals from the Salvation Army. They have offered to support us until our kitchen is up and running.”
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Philp said he’s meeting next week with the insurance company and a restoration company to start planning the engineering for the installation of a full, commercial kitchen.
“That’s going to be eye-wateringly expensive,” he said, noting a range hood with fire suppression, new commercial stove, fridges and freezers are yet to come, along with everyday kitchen items are needed.
“When you consider that the fire happened September 18, this is stunningly fast. It’s six weeks and we’re opening back up again.”
Philp said a fire investigation determined the blaze was accidental, and the cost of keeping people in alternate accommodations has reached $100,000 over the past six weeks.
Rosewood House has 15 full-time and part-time staff that cover three shifts plus weekends and must have a specified staff-client ratio.
Located on Nelson Street, the facility has a capacity for 40 people and is funded under contract by the City of Brantford.
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