Jul 14, 2025
Spring Orange Door Campaign
The Home Depot’s Orange Door Project has opened doors, literally and figuratively, for more than 1,000 vulnerable youth since we first partnered with them in 2014. The team in the Dartmouth Crossing location have been incredible champions for HomeBridge and continue to impress us with their efforts to raise awareness and funds to support the young people. Their latest campaign was no different.
Our friends in orange aprons went above and beyond as champions for both HomeBridge and the campaign. They invited customers to purchase an Orange Door for $2, $5, or $10 when checking out and added incentives like draws for BBQs and other prizes. The Spring in-store campaign raised over $9,000 to fund Recreation Therapy outings and activities which as an impressive achievement in just 27 days.
The Home Depot Canada Foundation’s mission with this campaign is to reduce youth homelessness by expanding stable housing, providing quality wrap-around supports, and increasing youth employment readiness. We are proud to partner with them on this important initiative, as our goals align so closely.
The unfortunate reality for many of the young people we serve is that they have endured, and often continue to endure, various forms of complex trauma. Psychologists define complex trauma as exposure to severe, repetitive, or prolonged stressors, often involving harm or abandonment by caregivers or other responsible adults. These experiences occur during critical developmental stages, such as early childhood or adolescence, and their frequency, intensity, and duration are far beyond what anyone should have to bear.
While our youth care programs aim to provide stability and safety, the effects of complex trauma can be long-lasting, manifesting in behavioural, emotional, social, or cognitive challenges. But, there is always hope. People can heal, adapt, and grow, even in the face of profound adversity.
When parents and caregivers are asked about their hopes for children, the answers usually fall into two categories: to survive and to thrive. It is important that young people are safe (survival), and we hope that they experience success (thrive). Many youth who have experienced complex trauma live in constant “survival mode.” At HomeBridge, we strive to provide positive life experiences, new challenges, and opportunities to build solid foundations for each youth to carry with them when they move on. We offer opportunities to thrive and that is what The Home Depot’s support is helping us to do.
Through our five youth care programs, we offer up to 36 young people at a time a safe place to live and heal (stable housing). We also offer educational support through our 18-seat accredited school program and a wide variety of therapeutic and life-skill building programs (wrap around supports and employability readiness). Approximately 80 young people come through our programs every year and their lives are definitely improved as a direct result of community support. Together we are helping them heal from their past trauma and build the skills and awareness to be their best self.
We would like to thank The Home Depot Canada Foundation, the team at The Home Depot Dartmouth Crossing and all of their caring customers for making this campaign such a success. Summer is the time that young people have the most free time and thanks to the money raised through the Orange Door Campaign, that free time has been filled with meaningful and therapeutic activities.