Client Story: A Home for Skywalker (and his humans)
In the spring of 2017, Bailey and Ryan* were renting a room in the basement of a family friend’s home. They were living with their tabby cat (Skywalker) in not-so-great conditions.
The basement had mold, was not well insulated and sharing the kitchen and common spaces with the homeowners proved to be difficult.
Ongoing Issues
The homeowners had a large German Sheppard that would torment Skywalker and once tried to bite Bailey’s face. After a fall out with the homeowners, the couple found themselves packing up Skywalker and their belongings and leaving the room they were renting. For the next few months they struggled to find couches to sleep on and friends that were willing to take Skywalker.
“We were more focused on finding a place to stay for the night, not an apartment. We were in fight-or-flight mode. There were nights it was close to midnight and we didn’t know where we were going to sleep,” says Bailey.
They had heard of the YES Shelter.
“I thought that only really desperately homeless people went there and I didn’t think we were really “homeless.” I had this preconceived notion that the shelter was a dirty place; I was wrong.”
Bailey
The couple arrived at the shelter in the summer of 2017. “I remember the first night we were there, the staff made this amazing chicken and bacon casserole. I will never forget that casserole. I was like, we are going to be okay. They are going to treat us okay.”
Getting Support
Bailey and Ryan were at the shelter for a few months, having a difficult time finding affordable housing.
Ryan
“While we were there, (YES) staff supported us with looking for a place; taking us to viewings, making phone calls and getting us connected with employment counselling.”
“They gave us a roof over our heads, they had laundry facilities and being able to have meals there meant we could save our money versus having to spend it on food and things we needed to just survive. Having a staff member waking us up every day was a big help. It got me into a routine of getting up and doing something with my day,” Ryan reflects.
The couple made friends that they still stay in contact with. “We all were in the same boat, we met some really cool people there.”
YES Stays Involved
After months of looking the couple found a one bedroom apartment. A place they could take Skywalker, a place they could call home. The only problem was, it wasn’t really affordable for them, even with the income of their part time jobs.
With the support of their YES Outreach Worker, the couple were able to obtain a rent supplement. The supplement allowed them to get into housing so the couple could focus more on their employment goals without the extra stress of not having an address.
“The YES shelter helped us so much, with things that we never would have known how to do, like how to get contents insurance and do our taxes. They were there to support us with food boxes when we needed them. Our hopes for YES is that you expand to help more people and I hope you never close your doors because there will always be someone that needs your help.”
Because of the support of people like you, Ryan, Bailey and Skywalker have a place to call home. The couple signed their one year lease in 2017 and re-signed another one year lease in 2018. Bailey is working part time, paying down her OSAP loan and hopes to return to post-secondary education in 2020. Ryan is working full time. They are no longer on Ontario Works. As for Skywalker, he is a happy boy with lots of space to roam and call his own.
Your help ensures youth like Ryan and Bailey can find a place to call home, and exit from the turbulent, traumatic experience of homelessness.
* All names have been changed.