The dollars come from the Ministry of Housing and Social Development and will be used for the 5 bed expansion of Hospice House.

There is something extra special, neighbor to Hospice, Dorothy Lamb has   given the Hospice House a property variance to allow Hospice to use her treed property. This will provide Hospice  with the opportunity to install a gate, develop some trails and let families have some privacy  in a garden like setting.

Minister of Housing and Social Development, Rich Coleman, brought a personal touch to the announcement, saying his assistant, who has been with him for 20 years, has just experienced the value of a hospice home as she lost her father just yesterday “it was amazing to see how the volunteers connected with the family and even after it was over, they made a tremendous difference.”

Prince George Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond said she knew this was going to be difficult for her as her own father spent his  last days at Hospice House. She thanked Minister Coleman for his hard work seeing that the  that the size of the cheque was mnore than doubled.  Initially the commitment from that ministry was $300 thousand and at the time, she told him that wasn’t good enough “ This may be about capital money,  but this is mostly about people.” She talked about how the people at Hospice House not only cared for her father, but showed they cared about her “The beauty of Hospice is that they don’t just care for the patient, they care for the family."

The expansion project carries a $2.2 million dollar price tag and will add five beds to the facility.

The Hospice Society has already raised $1.1 million through donations, the City of Prince George donated  $150 thousand. The Hospice Society needs to raise $400 thousand more.   The expansion is at the lock-up stage right now, but  work has been slowed by the poor weather.  It is hoped the  expansion  will be complete and fully paid for  in time for a July  official opening.