Former homeless youth gives $13K to aid transitional housing program
A former homeless youth has pledged $13,000 to help the Windsor Residence for Young Men that is desperate for donations to operate this year.
The man, who wants to remain anonymous, had nothing and was living on the street before he turned to the transitional housing program of the Windsor Residence for Young Men and now wants to help others in the same position, said Dave Freeman, chairman of the donor development committee.
“I was astounded. That’s a lot of money,” Freeman said Tuesday. “I think about the plight about somebody who’s a young person and just a few years ago was homeless. You don’t go from that to having a large net worth in almost any case. You basically do it the hard way, which is hard, hard saving and scrimping.
“Maybe he was saving for a house, maybe it was for a new car. I don’t know but he’s given that all to WRYM because right now we’re facing an urgent financial crisis.”
The residence started an urgent funding appeal this month to raise $50,000.
Program director Jason Weinberg
said the news of the donation gave them goosebumps and they’re very proud of everything the anonymous donor has accomplished. They don’t usually get to hear how former residents are doing. “It was just for all of us here very inspiring.”
The young man had been experiencing homelessness for some time before entering the transitional housing program for males between the ages of 16 and 24, Weinberg said. He would be between the age of 23 and 31 now.
After completing the program he worked, paid for his university education, is building a professional career, and has given a guaranteed bank draft for $13,000 to be used as matching funds to kick-start the fundraising campaign.
“He is someone with a phenomenal work ethic,” said Weinberg.
The Windsor Residence for Young Men, started in 2012, is the only supportive transitional housing program for young men in Windsor, and relies on community donations.
The transitional housing program gives young men a supportive home, individual counselling and programs that teach life skills such as budgeting, buying and cooking food and social responsibility.
Freeman said Windsor Residence for Young Men receives very little direct government funding, needs about $400,000 a year to operate and urgently needs donations. It’s already a lean operation that relies on volunteers, fundraisers and community grants, and had to cut one position last year, he said.
“There’s a stigma about young men where we think, well they can just get a job and pick themselves up by the bootstraps or whatever,” Freeman said of the constant hurdle to get enough funding to end homelessness for young men in Windsor-essex. “The world is pretty complicated for young people that have had some difficult backgrounds.”
Last year 95 per cent of the men in the transitional housing program identified with mental health issues which means they or their parents dealt with mental health issues. About 74 per cent identified with substance use issues and more than half dealt with suicide attempts or ideations.
The average stay in the transitional home is 73 days and the residence also has aftercare and outreach programs. It is not an emergency shelter or drop-in centre. Freeman said the residence is a lifeline for about 20 per cent of the local homeless population and early intervention can avoid future costs and issues.
“If we get these young men hope and purpose and help them to turn their lives around we save the society so, so much money whether it be the hospitals caring for people that are injured, whether it be courts, and police and emergency services,” Freeman said.
It’s a shame the residence receives so little direct funding from the government, Freeman said, and he hopes the provincial government will see the 95 per cent success rate over the last three years and offer more assistance. In 2019, the Windsor Residence for Young Men assisted 96 clients including 42 who successfully graduated from the transitional housing program. The average age was 19.
To donate, visit www.wrym.ca. Freeman called the recent donation a dramatic success story.
“We often see so many things about homelessness that just feel so bleak and this one really resonates as someone who climbed above the difficulties with help.”