Islanders with intellectual disabilities to be supported with new skills training centre

Stephen Baird has had some wonderful experiences and made some "really special friends" during his 10 years at Tremploy, a non-profit organization that provides adults who have an intellectual disability with vocational training and support services.

His mother, Marina Fay, hopes those experiences will get even better with the construction of the new Tremploy Skills Development Centre. 

"This is so exciting, I can hardly contain myself," she said.

"You just feel so grateful as a parent or guardian or caregiver that somebody like Stephen has a place to go at the end of the education system."

Tremploy has operated out of its current building on Raiders Road in Charlottetown for 50 years.

But more space is needed for the growing demand, said executive director Joel Dennis.

"When the building was first constructed back in the late '60s, there would have only been probably 20 or 30 clients coming to the building. Now we serve about 75 clients on a day-to-day basis, as well as work with another 50 or so here in the community. So our services have expanded significantly in the last number of years."

This new building will have two floors, accessible by an elevator. It will include a modern kitchen and wood shop, and plenty of room for activities and events. Clients will have access to green space, including an extensive and accessible trail system.

Construction is being funded in part by both federal and provincial governments, but officials with Tremploy said costs for the project jumped from $6 million to $9.5 million in the past year.

On Tuesday, they launched a capital fundraising campaign in the hopes of securing the last $1 million needed for the work. 

To initiate the capital campaign, the Province of Prince Edward Island through the Department of Social Development and Housing is investing $250,000.

"Having a mortgage is an option," Dennis said. "The only challenge there is it can sometimes limit our ability to provide services and could hamper our operations going forward. So our board really felt strongly that it was necessary to try to raise the funds, which would then leave us unencumbered with the mortgage as we move into the new building."

The new building, located on Regis Duffy Drive in Charlottetown's Bio Commons, is expected to open by next June. 

It's something Baird and his friends can look forward to in the months ahead, Fay said.