The House of Friendship is building a new drug treatment centre for women in Kitchener thanks to a $1 million donation from local philanthropists.

The centre will be located at the former Anselma House on Ann Street near Bruce and Frederick streets.

John Neufeld, the executive director of The House of Friendship, said the facility will provide services ranging from "counselling to day treatment to an actual residential facility where women will live there up to three months for treatment."

"It's right in the midst of construction...we're anticipating it being ready before the end of this year."

The money for the facility comes from a group of philanthropists who bought two adjacent pieces of land on Charles Street where a youth addiction centre was to be built. But those plans were shelved in 2008, and the land stayed empty.

Meanwhile, the House of Friendship was attempting last year to convert the Anselma House shelter, which had moved from Ann Street to a new location on Heritage Drive in 2011, to a women's drug treatment centre.

The philanthropists — including Norma and Rick Brock, Steve and Susan Scherer, James Petrozzi and Mac Voisin — decided to turn over $1 million from the future sale of the Charles Street property to The House of Friendship.

"That group of individuals came together. It wasn't about the egos, it wasn't about anything. They just wanted to make a difference in the community," said Neufeld.

"It just shows that in this community that when we come together and we have a vision to care for others, some pretty amazing things happen."