HGTV Star Donates 6-Unit Home to Addiction Rescue Mission

When Mandy Rennehan's brother struggled with addiction, she felt powerless to help. Now, the HGTV star is turning that pain into hope by donating her entire six-unit home to the people who need it most.

Rennehan, who appears on the home improvement show Trading Up, announced she's giving her iconic "Rennesouth" property in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. The charity provides shelter and support for people facing homelessness and addiction.

Michelle Porter, CEO of Souls Harbour, shared her reaction in a video posted Monday. "It's shocking," Porter said. "When I say it out loud, it feels not real."

The donation hits close to home for Rennehan, who has watched family members battle substance abuse for years. "Alcoholism and addiction have been in my family for a long, long time," she told Acadia News. "It's a cruel, cruel thing."

For years, Rennehan ran the property as a successful Airbnb with six separate units. When she learned about Souls Harbour's work, she saw a chance to do more than just feel helpless about her brother's struggles.

The Ripple Effect

This single donation multiplies Souls Harbour's capacity to house people in crisis. Six units means six times more families getting a safe place to sleep, six times more people accessing recovery resources, and six times more chances for someone's story to turn around.

Porter's organization has been transforming lives across Nova Scotia by treating addiction and homelessness not as moral failures but as challenges people can overcome with the right support. Now they'll have significantly more space to do that work.

The official handover ceremony happened Tuesday at 11 a.m. at 94 Main Street in Yarmouth, marking not just a property transfer but a powerful statement about turning family pain into community healing.

Sometimes the best way to help the people we love is to help the people who help them.