Indwell: Supportive Housing and Transforming Lives | Trinity Talks Podcast

Good morning everyone and welcome this morning to Trinity Talks.

I am really excited today because we have a guest with us.

We have Trish DeSimone, the Community Engagement and Fundraising Coordinator of IndWell Mississauga

and Peel Region.

And we are really happy to have you with us today.

So welcome.

Thank you.

Happy to be here.

Trish, today we are actually kicking off a project here that is in support of IndWell.

So this is a really timely time for you to come and join us here because we would love

to hear a little bit more about what IndWell is as well as a little bit more about this

particular project that we are looking to support.

And then finally some ways that maybe we as a church can support it.

Yes.

Well, thank you, Elizabeth.

So IndWell is a Christian charity that creates affordable housing for those seeking health,

wellness and belonging.

So we have been around for 50 years.

So this is actually our 50th anniversary.

Wow.

Yes.

So it is very exciting.

Very exciting.

So it actually our roots date back to the early 70s from a local pastor and his wife

saw a need in the community for folks that were, for families that had adult children

with disabilities.

So they came, they banded together and they said, hey, let's try to help someone.

Let's see if we can help a young woman and see if we can get her back on her feet.

And after a year of support, they saw, wow, what a difference it made.

She got back on her feet and they thought, wow, if we can help one person, let's see

if we can do some more.

So that's how it's segwayed.

Yes.

It was called the homestead and then it kind of segwayed into a group home with housing

support workers there.

And then eventually they bought a apartment building and then it segwayed into more, more

folks helping and more churches getting involved.

And then it kind of segwayed into Indwell.

So here we are today.

So here we are today.

So you had mentioned to me previously that that originated in Hamilton.

Yes, it did.

Yes.

Our roots date back to Hamilton.

But obviously here we are in Mississauga and we're talking about it.

Whereabouts does Indwell have housing?

Yes.

So we're in seven cities.

So, yes.

So Hamilton is our main hub.

That's where we started.

So we have about 13 programs buildings there, but we are in London.

We are in Simcoe.

We are in Chatham Kent.

We're on Kitchener Waterloo.

We're in Mississauga and Woodstock as well too.

So and St. Thomas.

Wow.

Yeah.

So we've really grown over the years and it's very exciting right here in Mississauga.

We have two programs actually.

We have one in Lake Shoreloft's program in Port Credit East of 68 units.

So we have about 74 folks there.

And then of course here in Streetsville, we have our cornerstone suites, which will be

opening soon.

I can't wait to talk about that.

Absolutely.

I'm very excited.

Very excited.

Construction is to be completed this month.

So we hope to have staff moving in actually next month, the first week of July.

Okay.

So you mentioned that there are about 70, did you say 74 people being served down at

Lake Shoreloft?

Yes.

That's impressive.

So what is the population?

What is the demographic there?

How do people come into being residents in these houses?

So as I said, we deal with folks that are on a fixed income.

They could be on ODSP.

Folks maybe have a mental health issue, could have mental disabilities.

They could have substance abuse or anything like that.

So we do provide housing support workers in our buildings.

So that's the difference that we make.

And we have different levels of programs for our buildings.

So our Lake Shoreloft's program is actually a blended program of enhanced and standard

care.

So what does that mean?

Right?

So a standard care would be minimal supports.

Folks that are able to manage their mental health that just need extra support or just

the affordability factor.

Because with the rents and so forth, especially in Mississauga, the rents are very high.

So I've volunteered for 14 years with a charity out of my church as well.

And I've seen where folks live.

And when it comes down to either do I pay my rent or do I eat?

That's a real problem.

And our food bank has seen like an 80% increase in the amount of folks going there as well.

So another thing I should mention in our Lake Shoreloft's building, we do have the Compass

Food Bank as a tenant in our building.

So that does supply food security as well.

So that's really helpful for our tenants too.

So they are able to access food.

That's incredible.

Yeah, it is.

It is.

And the Compass there has been a godsend to folks, but again, they've seen an 80% increase.

So there's a lot more folks coming and it's not who you think they are.

So it's grandparents, it's single moms, it's single dads, it's young people, it's old

people, it's homeless people, it's everyone.

It's everyone.

Yeah.

Well, this is a beautiful program then.

Yeah, it is.

And then you mentioned that there's a new housing community starting up right here in

Streetsville.

Yes, we're so excited.

Our cornerstone suites, we just named the building a few months ago.

It's a nice name.

Yeah.

Well, I thought it was befitting.

So we're on the corner of Thomas and Victoria Streets and Jesus is a cornerstone.

So I thought it was very befitting.

I love it.

Yeah.

And those will be bachelor apartments, so about 40 units.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with the story that was there before.

There was two houses on there before.

No, tell me.

Okay.

So maybe I can tell you a little bit about the story behind Streetsville.

So there were two houses on the property, older homes.

They were long-term care homes.

So they were housing about, I think they were housing about 12 folks there.

It wasn't very pleasant.

The housing, no one was really taking care of the housing.

It was really decrepit conditions.

Folks were kind of left to their own devices.

So it wasn't a good situation.

So a couple of churches had come in, maybe even your church could have been, trying to

help to see what happened, like what can we do?

How can we support these folks?

So then we heard from one of the churches said, hey, Indwell, is there something that

you can do maybe?

So luckily we were able to come in and buy the property.

Wow.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we actually were able to come in, convince the owner to sell the property.

So we've kept the two houses on the property, but we've housed the folks that were there

temporarily at our Lake Sherlock's building.

So the region did step in to kind of house them temporarily in a hotel till our Lake

Sherlock's building was completed.

Because that building's only been open for two years in Lake Shore, in Port Credit.

So we've been housing them there, hence while this building's being built.

Yeah.

So it's quite amazing.

It's quite a story.

And we're so happy that we could actually come in and build 40 units there so we can

house more folks there, you know, and get more folks in a safe environment so that we

can foster that health and wellness.

Yeah.

So it's a really good story.

So yeah.

And then so, and the tenants that are living at our Lake Sherlock's are doing really well.

Okay.

Do you have any success stories that come to mind?

Yeah, absolutely.

So one of the tenants from that, from the long-term care home will now be staying permanently

at Lake Sherlock's because it's a blended program.

They don't need the enhanced program that our cornerstone suites will be.

He's done well.

He can cook his own meals now, do his own laundry.

He has his own, he has a pet now that he takes care of.

He's got a whole community of friends that he's developed there as well too.

So it's a real good success story.

Sounds like a full life.

Absolutely.

Just with having a support system around you makes the difference.

And that's, that's the end-all difference is having those housing support workers that

kind of, we call it, we wrap around supports around our tenants.

And then we foster a community too, where we get to know each tenant by name and they

get to know us as well too.

So that makes a difference as well.

You know, it's, it's a whole program there and it's a whole community.

Actually it's a family.

Yeah, it is.

It's more like a family.

You were showing me your calendar.

Yeah, we do.

I don't know if you have it there on hand.

Yeah.

But it looks like there's a program almost every day going on.

Yeah.

So we do have a monthly program of events.

So depending on the month, this was January, but we do have our gratitude coffee every

Monday.

So folks can sit down together.

They can have a coffee together.

They can, you know, foster community together, chat with each other.

They may even play cards together.

We do have another tea time as well.

We have bingo that we do, you know, we have speakers that come in.

Yeah.

So it's a whole program.

We do karaoke.

We have a beautiful sunroom upstairs where we can have meditation.

We have community walks because we are close to the lake.

So every Monday as well, they do a walk.

So yeah, it's just, it's really having a community and having, having something to do too.

It gives folks, you know, opportunity to get together and to foster again that health and

wellness.

Just recently they started a gardening club.

Really?

Yeah.

Because one of the churches through a donation, we were able to install a raised garden bed.

So now we have fruit, our vegetables that we're growing.

Okay.

So it's like a community garden.

So our, our food security person, Grace also picks items too, to cook with at different

events and things.

And the tenants also take care of it.

Yeah.

That is wonderful.

So again, it's creating that community.

Yes.

It makes the difference.

It looks like it's been incredibly well thought out and well implemented as well.

Absolutely.

So you mentioned again, this housing community starting up here in streetsville, and I believe

it's happening fairly soon.

When does it open and when are tenants moving in?

So yes.

So construction is slated to be completed the end of this month.

Okay.

Yeah.

And our staff will be moving in next month.

So very exciting time.

So the staff will probably move in about the first week of July and then they'll get start

setting things up.

So we won't have tenants probably move in till mid August.

And it's not a quick process.

It's a slow process because we do work with SHIP, which is services and housing in the

province.

They do vet a list for us.

So we give them the criteria for our building and then they vet a list for us.

And then we do the process of we do a phone interview, an in-person interview, and then

we make sure that they're the right fit for our building as well.

And our cornerstone suites will be an enhanced program.

So we'll have a full-time staff there.

So the staff will include a housing program manager, a program supervisor.

We will have food security on site to provide hot meal.

We will have an addiction support worker.

We'll have a psychosocial support worker.

We'll have a facilities manager there as well to overseeing the building to make sure that

everything's run properly because we do own the buildings.

We are the landlords.

We take care of the buildings.

So yeah, so it's a huge staff.

That's very comprehensive.

Yes, absolutely.

So comprehensive.

I love that.

Well here at Trinity, I know that some of our staff had a conversation with you a few

months back and we were talking about the welcome packs that you like to supply to the

new tenants to get them started when they do move in.

And we would like to engage in helping with that project and that endeavor.

And so I know I'm going to put up a list of some of the items that you like to meet people

or greet people with when they do move in.

And I see them there up on the screen.

I'm just going to say them out loud.

We've got toilet paper, paper towel, hand soap, dish soap, J-cloths, tea towels, a

broom and dustpan, toilet bowl brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, and small garbage can.

And I wanted to let you know that we're going to be starting on July 7th doing a sign up

sheet where we're going to invite our members of the congregation to donate some items to

this and then in a few weeks we can help put the packs together and deliver them to the

cornerstone suites.

That is so wonderful because a lot of our tenants too may be coming from precarious

housing or from homelessness.

So they basically have nothing.

So having a welcome kit like this is amazing to have.

You know, it's the little things that you don't think about, right?

But when you move in that you have them right there.

So that's just amazing.

And we're very grateful and thankful for that, that each tenant will have this welcome

kit when they come home.

And it is their home.

It is their home.

It's permanent housing.

It's their home.

Thank you for mentioning that.

The permanent housing.

We don't want it to be a house.

We want it to be a home.

Absolutely.

And, you know, it's just such an amazing feeling to watch folks just when they come home.

You know, they open that door, they have furniture because at cornerstone suites we will have

furnished apartments.

So each apartment will be furnished.

So we'll have a welcome kit supplied by the church here, which is wonderful.

We have bed kits that were also donated.

So they'll have a fresh pillow.

They'll have fresh sheets.

They have a fresh comforter.

Another local church has also made beautiful quilts.

So each tenant will have the opportunity to pick their own quilt.

Yeah.

It was another church group that they made these beautiful quilts by hand.

And they also made them for our Lake Shore Lofts program as well.

So they made 68 for that building and an extra 15 actually just recently and 40 for this

building.

That's impressive.

And they keep going.

Oh really?

Yeah.

So we do, we are so grateful for our church support and our church communities because

they really make a difference too.

We can't do it alone.

Okay.

We really can't do it alone.

You know, we do get funding for our building capital funding to build through CMHC and

especially in the region here through the Rapid Housing Initiative.

But everything else really is, you know, it takes a community to raise those funds, you

know, and yeah, we're so appreciative for our church folks here.

Absolutely.

Amazing.

Absolutely.

Now on the phone yesterday when we briefly chatted, you had mentioned another opportunity

that maybe members of the community could help get involved with.

And that is that there's the chance that you may need some help unboxing and moving some

of the furniture and appliances.

And what's that all about?

Yeah.

So as I mentioned, each apartment will be fully furnished.

So that was part of our fundraising goal too.

We raised funds to furnish the apartment.

So that's part of our gifts of hope.

So we do have these different packages and things like that to raise funds for our program.

So through our gifts of hope, we furnish apartments.

So each apartment will come equipped with a kitchen table and chairs, a comfy chair,

a coffee table, a bed, a dresser.

So we need folks to actually help to unbox all these items that will be delivered the

first and second week of July.

So I'm actually organizing for the Monday and the Tuesday, July 15th and 16th, a day

of volunteers.

So it takes many hands.

We need folks to unbox, to crush boxes, take away the garbage and even some handy folks

that maybe are able to put furniture together.

Well, I know we have some handy folks in our midst.

So we'll definitely get the word out for that as well.

So that's two days.

So I'm going to do like two shifts per day.

So like nine till 12 and one to four.

So just kind of to accommodate folks because I know it's summer.

But yeah, so over two days, so the July 15th and 16th, the Monday and the Tuesday.

Yes, we're looking forward to that.

So yeah, I would love that.

So yeah, anyone just please contact me and happy to organize that.

Absolutely.

Well, thank you very much for joining me.

I feel so much more enlightened about what Indwell is and I just, I can see your passion

coming through for the organization.

We did recently do a community needs assessment through the church and affordable housing

was just top of the list.

So we are happy to support this amazing initiative that you are you are part of.

I also want to let everyone know if you are watching this with us here on July the seventh

that today during our barbecue, we will be collecting funds for Indwell over at the barbecue.

We have a tap and a box donation.

So if you are so inclined, I know that that would be greatly appreciated as well.

But again, thanks Trish for everything.

Yeah, and I want to say thank you too for having me here.

So as I mentioned, for 50 years, we've been providing supportive housing that transfer

Lime.

So every door we open together becomes a solution to homelessness.

Beautiful.

Well, thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.