This year ARDN has contunued to grow and generate support for existing projects and programs while creating new services. As ARDN's chair explains:
"ARDN has become a champion for rural homelessness and has been responsive in identifying rural housing needs. This work has brought ARDN national recognition, delivered concrete results, increased community support and provided major administrative funding during the past year." We created new tools for communities to identify their homelessness populations and form their own solutions to the challenges. In addition, ARDN anticipates opening the first of several community-driven demonstration housing units in fall 2018.
Hindsight shows how far ARDN has come in the past 10 years. Factors shaping rural Alberta today - the economic downturn, homelessness, the affordable housing crisis, the opioid crisis, legal cannabis, the local food boom - were either non-existent or barely on anyone's radar 10 years ago. ARDN looks forward to the future which will undoubtedly be full of surprises and excitement.
