House of Friendship was founded in 1939 by local Christian churches and was originally located on King Street in downtown Kitchener. It had a reading room, a dining room and emergency food assistance. The founding director was Joseph Cramer, a Jewish Christian immigrant who came from Russia via the US. This mission was a response of the local Christian community to the physical and spiritual needs of immigrants and disadvantaged individuals regardless of race or creed in the volatile era of the late 1930's. Over the years through the efforts of many volunteers and staff House of Friendship has served thousands of low-income people and has become a vital part of the social service network of the Region of Waterloo. Presently, the agency serves over 42,000 women, men, youth and children annually. Program areas include addiction services, community services, family services and residential services. Three books have been written documenting the history and services of the agency:
Skate Canada - Central Ontario's history dates back to 1955. Throughout our illustrious history, we have had a number of wonderful skaters and wonderful moments which have defined who the section is.To learn more about each year that the section has existed, simply click on the appropriate year about what transpired that year.
Dedicated to the mental health and well-being of children and families, Lutherwood provides therapeutic services for youth experiencing significant mental health, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Day Treatment provides help with behavioural and emotional problems in a school setting, residential treatment is available when families are unable to cope or are absent from the child's life and our Parklands Open Custody program provides treatment options to youth within the Youth Justice System.