A house is made of walls and beams; A home is made with love and dreams

~ Unknown

What is Cornerstone Landing

Cornerstone Landing is a community-based, non-profit charitable organization providing assistance to youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Lanark County.

We provide a continuum of care that includes prevention and long term supports.

We provide clients with information and referrals to other community resources to address issues surrounding homelessness such as food insecurity and mental health.

We provide support to keep youth housed and in school.

Why Does Our Community Need Cornerstone Landing?

Despite what many people believe, there are youth who experience homelessness in our community, just as there are in every town and city across Canada. In rural communities homelessness often seems invisible. You won't see young people sleeping on the streets because they are embarrassed and don't want to be associated with the stigma of being homeless. Often they resort to what is known as couch surfing; staying with friends for temporary accomodation. We refer to this as hidden homelessness. Unfortunately, young people often find themselves in dangerous situations in order to put a roof over their heads. They are forced to stay in unsafe situations. They feel terrified about what is going to happen to them and they do not have the money to buy basic needs such as food, cloths, hygiene and school supplies.

Lanark County is unique because it is made up of several small towns scattered across a large rural area. There are no emergency shelters for homelessness and there is no public transit. Cornerstone Landing serves as an entry point to accessing and navigating exisiting services. We recieve referrals from agencies across the County and support approximately 70-80 youth per year.

"It’s not so simple to just find somewhere to go. It’s hoping you have a friend that might have an extra room or an extra couch or that their parents will say yes to you staying there. So that is probably the most popular version of homelessness in Lanark County is what’s called couch surfing and you don’t hear about it because kids will go, oh, they will go to this friend’s for a week and this friend’s for a week and this friend’s for a week and this friend’s for a week. That’s still being homeless. If you don’t know where you are going the next day, or the next night or the next week or the next month, your homeless and that’s the thing. The biggest version of homelessness around here isn’t considered homelessness, even though it is and that’s the hardest part."

Former client of Cornertone Landing

What We Do

The Board Members of Cornerstone Landing are a group of dedicated volunteers from various walks of life and committed to providing assistance to youth who are homelessness or at risk of homelessness in Lanark County. This group came together in 2010 and has worked diligently to create a unique rural model of service that has been recognized on a provincial and national level. We have built strong community partnerships to reduce duplications in services, streamline access to programs and best support our clients.

Given the right set of circumstances, anyone can fall into homelessness.

By supporting Cornerstone Landing you offer hope, shelter and a future to those youth in need.