Stories

Sara came to Florence Booth House in November 2012. During her initial assessment with a Counsellor, Sara related how she had been fired from her place of employment because she was suffering from depression. Sara had attempted to apply for ODSP to ensure a source of income but was denied. The Counsellor attempted to work […]

A shy young woman came to stay with us at Florence Booth House after she was bought to Canada for medical assistance. As a respected and well-known accountant in her native country, Namibia, this woman had given up her job to assist her family in their car sales auto industry. However, plans with the business

Aaron is staying at Hope Shelter for a few days while he waits to enter the Harbour Light treatment program. He’s been in treatment before, but has hope for the future. “Underneath everything, I do have faith in God,” he says. “Part of faith is belief in self, and I think I still have enough

Laura has found safety and support at Evangeline Residence after experiencing domestic violence. “I’m using it as a stepping stone in my life,” she says. She is studying towards a certificate in family counselling at Centennial College, and wants to help other women. “They’ve been crushed with negative, critical words, with failed expectations. Maybe they’ve

Ieshia has been at Florence Booth House, a women’s shelter, for two weeks. “I went down to my lowest. I didn’t have a place to stay. I was on the street,” she says. “It was bad. Rough.” Somebody told her about the shelter. “Here I have a roof over my head, I have food to

Richard uses pen and ink to experiment with lines, form and shape at Gateway’s art night. “I used to do a lot of drawing and painting and I’m getting back into it. Art is a good therapy tool,” he says. “Things that are bothering me are excused from my mind while I concentrate on the

Sharmila Mohammed, a housing worker at Florence Booth House, meets with Julie. Along with helping women find housing, Mohammed provides community follow up. “I make sure they have a bed, dishes, clothes and furniture, so they don’t have an empty apartment,” she says. She also goes grocery shopping with them, and shows them where to

Martin checks Gateway’s lineup for the season opener of the Downtown East End Softball League, with teams from various shelters and drop-in centres. The team is made up of current and past residents, community members and staff. Martin has been Gateway’s team captain for eight years. He recently found permanent housing but still visits friends