The Cochrane Society for Housing Options (CSHO) and Home Reno Heaven have welcomed a new executive director on board in Kevin McDonald.
Originally from Toronto, McDonald said he's dedicated his career to providing affordable housing options for the communities in which he lives, all of which have been in Toronto and the Greater Toronto area, until now.
"I've done my research and Cochrane was the absolute perfect place for me and my family to relocate to," he said. "I really loved the idea to be a part of both the local municipality as well as running a small local non-profit."
The position is a dual role where McDonald will be acting as both the executive director of CSHO and Home Reno Heaven, and as housing coordinator for the Town of Cochrane, just as his longtime predecessor Corinne Burns did.
"The whole social enterprise with Home Reno Heaven was also absolutely fascinating to me and it looked like an incredible opportunity to help build community," he said.
Home Reno Heaven is a secondhand hardware, building and furniture store which acts as a fundraising arm for CSHO, where proceeds from the store are given back to the community in the form of supporting affordable housing.
While all of his career experience has been working with communities within cities, McDonald said Cochrane's growth, while still having the identity of a small town, gives it great potential and he looks forward to the new set of challenges that will come with it.
"I have a passion for affordable housing and strategy, so it's all a matter of how we can build and grow as the town continues to grow," he said.
McDonald very recently took over the position from Burns, who was involved in addressing affordable housing in the community for more than 20 years.
"To be completely honest, I have very big shoes to fill," he laughed. "I very much enjoyed getting to know Corinne and what her vision for CSHO and Home Reno Heaven were.
"I'm very happy that the torch has been passed to me and I hope that I can continue forward in that direction and vision that she had, moving forward with the agency."
McDonald is still learning and getting to know the role specific to Cochrane so his main goal at this time remains simple: "to be able to grow affordable housing options and keep pace with the town as it grows."
The 38 units the non-profit operates for low- and moderate-income residents of Cochrane and western Rocky View County are typically under a waiting list, not unlike many other communities.
McDonald said he looks forward to working with the community and the CSHO board of directors to ensure the town is supported by the affordable housing it needs.
