Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre-Men's Shelter & Housing
973 Lansdowne Ave M6H 3Z5 Toronto, ON, Canada

With his permission, we want to take the time to share the story of Victor. Victor is 26 years old and came to Canada from Nigeria in 2019. He was referred to our Bloor Street shelter through Central Intake. As a new refugee, he arrived at our doors during the winter with no winter jacket or proper winter clothing. During the first frigid day last winter, staff saw that he was only wearing a sweater as a jacket. One of the staff worked hard that day to find a Canada Goose ja...cket as a donation. Staff continued to help him transition into city life over the next few months. As Victor didn’t have any ID, which can be common for people experiencing homelessness, he couldn’t apply for Toronto Housing. He was, of course, eager to find a room, and a job so he could begin saving. Staff reached out to Deborah, CONC’s drop-in manager, to let her know that Victor was seeking work experience, and she decided to take him on as a volunteer. He enjoyed volunteering with the drop-in, gaining valuable skills while still seeking a room to rent. Within 4 months of being in our program, staff successfully found him housing. His volunteer experience with the drop-in also lead to a paid position with a partnering community agency, TROOP, where he could help with moving furniture. Due to the fact that Victor did not reside in our program for 6 months consecutively, he was unable to access the Furniture Bank, which is why we were so grateful to have TROOP partner with CONC to help Victor move from the shelter into furnished accommodations. Victor continued to work hard and stay connected, and is happy to report that he now works at Bell Canada as a customer service representative. We are so happy for Victor, and are grateful to be able to provide him with the support he needed to make a successful first step in Canada.

We want to thank @MovingHopeCanada for their hard work in getting much needed donations of winter clothing to the folks at our Rexdale shelter. As the shelter opened in the summer of 2020, many clients arrived with only summer clothing on hand. The 4 bags of winter wear will go a long way for the upcoming season. Special thanks to Brandon at Moving Hope and the whole team there!

We want to highlight some of the amazing work being done by our team members. Patrick and Raj run the Health & Wellness aspect of the Breaking Barriers program at CONC’s new hotel shelter in Rexdale. Patrick and Raj work with clients from the moment they begin intake, meeting with each person to figure out goals and prioritize health needs. Health means many different things to this team, as they work with each client from a holistic perspective asking the question, what ...can we do to help you thrive? Patrick and Raj want to see the program expand by organizing a flu shot clinic onsite, and running a winter clothing drive. As the Rexdale shelter opened in August, many clients arrived with only summer clothing on hand. Patrick hopes to change that and have a collection of jackets and other winter wear ready to go before our first major snowfall. Read more here: https://www.conccommunity.org/meet-our-team-breaking-barri/ See more

today CONC begins operation of the 175 room Comfort Inn in Rexdale

Congrats to Aidyn who moved into his own apartment last week...another success story for Housing Worker Sherry Desmond and the CONC team