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Organizations unveils new permanent supportive housing units

By Ashtyn Asay - | Jun 29, 2022
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Donors cut the ribbon to the new Candlelight Villas permanent housing units on the Food and Care Coalition property in Provo on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.
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A Candlelight Villas permanent housing unit in Provo on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.
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Donated goods sit on the kitchen counter at one of the Candlelight Villas permanent housing units in Provo on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.
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The bedroom of one of the Candlelight Villas permanent housing units in Provo on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

The Food and Care Coalition hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for Candlelight Villas, a new permanent supportive housing complex that has been years in the making.

Candlelight Villas consists of 72 one-bedroom units arranged around a common area with wrap-around education, medical, dental, mental health and employment support services, as well as shared security.

Each unit is has a bedroom, bathroom and living room, and comes completely furnished and stocked with donated supplies. Community members have access to outdoor sitting and dining areas, pavilions and planter boxes where they can garden.

For Brent Crane, the executive director of the Food and Care Coalition, the completion of the Candlelight Villas was a massive milestone in a career propelled by the belief that everyone is worthy of love and dignity.

“I remember many years where people said ‘you should be down by the railroad tracks,’ … that offended me greatly, that we would say to one segment of our community, ‘you are not worthy to be here.’ We are all worthy to be here, and we are all worthy of love, and we are all worthy of the dignity of God,” Crane said.

Nestled next to the housing complex is the new doTERRA Center for Service, where Candlelight Villas community members will be able to participate in service projects for.

According to Corey Lindley, CEO of doTERRA, the company chose to invest in the Candelight Villas project because it aligned so closely with doTERRA’s purpose.

“We are driven by our purpose, which is to help the world heal in a variety of ways, and this is exactly what this is,” he said. “One of our core values and our point of focus within this mission is the focus on empowering people and communities in their pursuit of self-reliance, and that’s exactly what this is.”

Applications are now open for residency at Candlelight Villas. In order to meet the minimum qualifications for Candlelight Villas, applicants must:

  • Be homeless and an active participant within Utah County’s homeless provider network.
  • Be able to self-pay or have an active Provo City Housing Authority voucher.
  • Be active in case management services with the Food & Care Coalition or one of the approved onsite partners. The list currently includes Wasatch Behavior Health, Fresh Start Ventures and the Veterans Administration.

doTERRA was the primary donor to the Candelight Villas project. Other major donors included VanCon, HomeAid, Utah County, Larry & Gail Miller Foundation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Olene Walker Trust Fund.

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