Hôtel Dieu for Women - Progress Report!

Keeping Hôtel Dieu for Women Holy!

Thanks to the prayers, dedication and hard work of Guy Durette and his wife, we found a place for the first Hôtel Dieu for Women - 37to 39 Government Road Fauquier.This post will try to explain what has happened since.
Your prayers for discernment are appreciated. 

37-39 Government Road Fauquier - The First Respite Location?

When Guy Durette found the property in Fauquier, we asked people to pray about it.  Guy did an extensive inspection on the main building on the property which has three main parts as shown in the image below:

37-39 Government Road Fauquier Ontario - Floor Plan

Three Functional Areas 37-39 Government Road Fauquier Ontario

1. Restaurant with walk-in cooler, central air, 2 dining rooms, a huge commercial kitchen, patio, 4 guest washrooms, a staff washroom, and wet coffee bar, laundry hookup, gas furnace, and rental hot water heater
2. Historic GroceryStore - with basement, and a workbench
3. Apartment- with 3 bedrooms each with a towel bar and shelves in their closets, one cedar lined closet in the master bedroom, a kitchen, dining room,  living room, 4 pc bath, gas furnace  and rental hot water heater.

The property also has a front verandah,outside lighting, a ramp leading into the kitchen prep area, a huge metal Quonset at the back, parking for 15 vehicles, and the snowmobile trail behind it even has a stop sign on the trail and there is a culvert for ease of access from the trail!

While I was valiantly battling a drive filled with every imaginable precipitation, Guy's wife explained to the vendors about the vision and dream I'd received and what I felt called to do. Donald LaMontagne, one of the vendors, very kindly fixed minor repairs to the property which Guy Durette pointed out. However there are a few repairs that will need to be tackled in better weather, such as a new window insert.

You can read the Specway Home Inspection Report by Guy Durette here:

Purchasing 37-39 Government Road Fauquier

Although the listing on Kijij for the new home was $70K, after consultation with  Ralph Whytye, of Cameron Community Church, I stepped forward in faith and placed an offer on the property of $58K as a $48K downpayment and a VTB mortgage open mortgage of $10K at 5% amortized over 25 years. I had hoped not to need a mortgage at all, but this would be a very manageable payment of $58 a month with no prepayment penalty. [This offer was made anticipating  the executor would be releasing the rest of my father's estate at the end of March. ] The offer also contained a clause allowing me to pay rent for $500 per month and live there for up to 6 months should the full amount of the downpayment not be available, so we would be able to start the respite as soon as possible, and God willing, open a restaurant and gift shop where the women could earn money while gaining new skills..
The vendors were given 6 days to take it to their lawyer, and then it was agreed to without any changes.

I set about getting people lined up to help with the move on March 31st 2015. It looked like the Hôtel Dieu for Women would be starting shortly. I placed an ad in Kijiji looking for women to join in our northern adventure.

Foreshadowing of Adjustments Needed

Just before the closing date of the property at 37-29 Government Road Fauqier, a couple of things happened.

First, a dedicated Bible scholar at Cameron Community Church came to me and said, 

"Do you realize what you're doing? You're dedicating all your worldly goods to God's service! I want you to know that we're behind you, and we're going to get other people to support you."

I was flabbergasted. This was not supposed to be about Suzanne, it was supposed to be about God.  I only wanted to do what God asked. I was just grateful that He saved my life. I did not want any light shone on me, I wanted the work to reflect God's Glory.
Then I had a dream that Jesus was furious with me about the way I was giving. I took this to mean that The Hôtel Dieu for Women was to be God's plan, not Suzanne's plan. It should not be seen as a handout, it should be a shared project.
Then, two spanners hit the works that put everything on hold.

Hôtel Dieu for Women - On Hold- Two Spanners in the Works

What were the two spanners in the works that brought everything to an abrupt stop?
First, the vendors discovered that they could not let anyone move into the property until an HST lien of $28 K was disbursed. This seemed  a very small problem at first, as I'd expected at least $55K to be disbursed from my father's estate
Then, the second shoe dropped. The executor only advanced $25K and changed their ETA of when the remainder of the estate could be disbursed.
This caused problems for me personally - all my belongings were in storage, and I now was homeless. More importantly, these problems put the plans for the Hôtel Dieu for Women on hold.

A Godly Solution?

A few days later, while sitting in the parking lot at my doctor's office, tears of frustration came to my eyes.
"My Father owns the sheep on a thousand hills!" I cried out in frustration.
To my surprise, a still small voice answered within me:
"You need $23,000. If 23 people donate $1,000 that's $23,000."
"Yes," I agreed grudgingly.
"If 46 people donate $500, that's $23,000"
"Yes," I agreed waiting to hear more.
That was it. The end of the reply.
What was this voice?
 It certainly didn't come from my thoughts. When I think of a plan , I think " I need" not "You need"

Seeking Confirmation of God's Plan

 I took the solution to Angela, our secretary.Angela agreed, yes we could ask if people would like to book rooms for different periods of time. Angela thought $500 for a week would be quite reasonable - people pay much more than that to go to a summer camp or to stay somewhere on a vacation. I was concerned it might be too much for people on limited incomes. We then decided if people were willing to share a room we could offer the rooms for less.
 I then took it to Jenny at the Centre of Hope. Jenny agreed, yes tit would be a Godly solution to invite people to book their rooms at the Hôtel Dieu for Women through a crowd-funding solution then Refurbished Homes by Refurbished People could offer me a mortgage that I would be able to pay back when the remainder of my funds came from the estate. This Godly solution could unplug the clog, and at the same time it would let more people know about the Hôtel Dieu for Women.

Appealing to the MP for Help

I sent the following email to the MP for Fauquier, Charlie Angus:

Dear Sir,
I am hoping you can help us move forward in establishing a respite for women in Fauquier. I had purchased 37-39 Government Road with a clause for rent with option to buy if for some reason my full inheritance didn't come through by the closing. Unfortunately, I only received a partial disbursement of $25K which is in trust at the lawyer to be used for the purchase of my home where we will be setting up the first women's respite. I can only use these funds towards the purchase of a home, and due to receiving funds from my father's estate have been suspended from ODSP. March 31 when we were preparing to move into the property, under the rent with option to buy clause, the vendors informed us that there is an HST lien of $28K on the property from the people who had tried to buy it from them before and it needed to be paid before anyone could move into the property.
Ironically a solution that was to help decrease homelessness and poverty in women has increased the number of homeless- My daughter and I were left without a home and all our belongings in storage.
Can you please tell us why are the vendors who did not incur the HST debt being penalized for their mortgagee's unscrupulous debt?
Can an appeal be made to the CRA to either decrease the HST LIEN or clemency be given based on the use we wish to make of this building?
Can you please help us move forward so we can once more have a home?

Board Meeting Monday June 1st 2015

Monday June 1st , we held an impromptu board meeting following Omemee Christian Outreach. In attendance were Angela K , our secretary; Harry P, our treasurer; and myself. 

Harry opened in prayer.

We discussed what had happened so far., including the letter to the MP re the HST lien - though the government takes a long time to act.

Angela K moved we set up a YouCaring Fundraiser to help establish our first Hótel Dieu for Women, which was seconded by Harry P. Harry P then moved that the funds from the You Caring fundraiser be used to give Suzanne Sholer a no-interest mortgage to enable the establishment of the First Hótel Dieu for Women. Seconded by Angela K. 

Harry P. Also suggested it is important to offer something unique to people who might be booking rooms to stay at the Hôtel Dieu for Women. I suggested we contact the Polar Bear Rehab Centre nearby and see if we might be able to volunteer at the Centre. I also pointed out the Groundhog River in Fauquier is apparently well known for its fishing. Approval was received to look into possible partnerships with suitable local attractions.

I mentioned the possibility of establishing a UHaul rental franchise and how this could work well with the respite in helping people move into their new places, as well as the possibility of setting up a moving crew. Harry said this was putting the wagon before the horse, and first we needed to get into the place. 

Angela closed in prayer.

You Caring - Raise Funds to Start Hôtel Dieu for Women

So now we are taking a leap of faith and starting a fund raiser on You Caring. We chose You Caring because it does not charge extra above the payment program, as other crowd funding platforms do. YouCaring suggests starting with a small fundraiser, rather than a huge goal. A small goal would be having enough to discharge the lien so we could move in and start renting it on a monthly basis until October as per the original agreement. We will start with a fundraiser for $10K.
We looking forward to hearing about how God will miraculously find funds for women to come and stay for a day, a week or a season to work together with us to start the first Hôtel Dieu for Women.   If you know a woman who could use a breather please put her situation before us so we can share her situation  for prayer.
At the same time, we will be praying in: beds, bedding, furniture, a stove, washer and dryer.
Is God speaking to your heart about His plan? We would love to hear what God places on your heart.