Former Jakobstettel Inn transformed into guest house for Ukrainian refugees
Posted Jul 7, 2022 11:30:00 AM.
It used to be the Jakobstettel Country Inn.
But now, after weeks of hard work, the house on Isabella St. in Woolwich will host Ukrainian refugees.
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Woolwich Guest House this weekend.
The house was vacant for several years, but the community came together to make it a safe landing spot for Ukrainian refugees.
Appearing on the Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570 on Wednesday, Lorrie Martin, the team lead for the interior of the house, described what the house initially looked like.
“As the house sat vacant for so many years, the house deteriorated,” Martin said.
“It almost looked like a sci-fi movie, the weeds coming up over the sills, and starting to reclaim the house.”
However, when she began working on the project, Martin found that many people and businesses wanted to help out.
“I'm just so grateful and overwhelmed by how generous people have been supporting the program,” she said.
“We've got such a great community to tap for a project like this.”
The house has 10 bedrooms and will give refugees a place to get settled as they find resources to help them.
It will host refugees for a year.
“This is a very small way that we can make a global impact or have an effect in our community,” said Martin.
“You get back so much more in the end than what you put out, and that's the beauty of it.”
You can learn more about the guest house by clicking here
