SWEAT EQUITY OPENS DOORS
Des Wilson and Darren Anderson, who work with EGADZ, construct a deck at a new transitional housing project organized by the non-profit community agency. The organization allows occupants to work on renovations and maintenance before taking up residence in EGADZ’S new Fusion 22 apartment complex in lieu of coming up with a damage deposit.
As Don Meikle shows off an apartment in Fusion 22, EGADZ’S newest housing initiative, the sounds of children playing carry over from a nearby school.
The quiet neighbourhood and its tree-lined streets are something anyone can and should aspire to, says Meikle, the organization’s executive director.
He refers to incoming tenants in the building as “kids,” regardless of their age and the fact that some have children of their own. In many cases, they’ve been in his life for years, accessing services at EGADZ in some form.
It didn’t make sense to stop supporting them as they aged out of care, Meikle said.
“We work really hard to move our own kids ahead in their lives and support them,” he noted. “Why should we be trying to do things differently? Why should we be trying to just say, ‘OK, you’re clean and sober now, you’ve got a nice apartment, good luck’? It doesn’t work that way. You’ve gotta keep moving and supporting people.”
Fusion 22, named for the number of units in the apartment building and the collaboration behind it, provides accessible housing for families of all kinds.
The space is for use by independent mothers and fathers, at-risk or struggling families and young people pursuing school or work.
Living in Fusion 22 is an investment in their future, Meikle said. Under the building’s “sweat equity” approach, tenants work 50 hours at a wage of $15/hour until they earn their $750 damage deposit.
The money is split between investments across a few categories like education, and a savings account at partner organization Conexus Credit Union. When tenants move out, they receive their deposit back, plus anything earned on top of it.
Conexus is using the money from its contribution to the Sweet Dreams Social Impact Bond to purchase beds and dining room tables for each of the units. Tenants will also have access to a trades-based education and employment opportunities.
“We have to keep providing opportunities for people,” Meikle said. “We can’t just let people continue to live in poverty and keep them at that level. They should be able to grow at a rate that everybody else does that has that chance."
Last December, members of the EGADZ Action to Employment program met with Social Services Minister Paul Merriman and shared their concerns about ‘aging out’ of available services when they reached 18.
“They didn’t see a lot of hope for the future,” Meikle said. “So they just said, ‘We want to work, we want to contribute and we want to not be on social services.’ ”
Merriman offered the 24-unit building, owned by The Saskatchewan Housing Corporation. Two units are offices for support staff.
Jade Okemaysim was doing maintenance at the EGADZ office for a few months before Meikle tapped her to be a mentor at the building. As a future tenant, she’s been painting and repairing drywall and supervising others as they do the same.
Okemaysim said the clean, sober environment at Fusion 22 will give her sources of support down the hall and ensure her four children will have a safe place to live.
“We feel safe moving in here. It feels good that we don’t have to worry about anybody here using (substances),” Okemaysim said. “I’ve gotten to meet quite a few of the people moving in and we do a lot of talking — that’s the best thing we can do, just hang and talk and tell each other our stories.”
Des Wilson, a recent graduate of
SIIT’S Women in Trades Program, has been working with contractor Darren Anderson on replacing the building’s decks and other larger repair work.
Working with EGADZ helped her realize her passion, Wilson said.
“I helped renovate Sweet Dreams and I didn’t realize that I liked working in the trades or anything,” Wilson said. “I actually got so into it that I went to school after the renovations were done. I will never be at a desk job or do anything other than this, ever.”
Meikle said the change he and Anderson have seen over the last few months has him excited about the building ’s future. He hopes the building will become self-sustaining someday, operated by its former tenants.
“These kids have so many hidden talents, it’s unbelievable. And they have a desire to do better,” Meikle said. “If you want a better life, we’re going to really try to make that happen for you and we’re going to support the hell out of you. I mean, if they can work for me, they can work for anybody,” he said with a laugh.
Gail Boser and Linda Reiss, sisters of the late longtime EGADZ supporter Francis Reiss, contributed $25,000 each to the project.