A neighbourhood house built on dreams of new life
Agencies support families to prepare, navigate and advocate for their future
Canada is a beacon of hope for Stacy Obazogbon, who arrived in May from Nigeria with dreams of building a new life for her family.
The 33-year-old mother of three has found a home away from home at Central Neighbourhood House (CNH), a multi-service agency in downtown Toronto, which is supported by the United Way.
Obazogbon arrives each morning from a nearby shelter where she lives, to bring her sons Darren, 4, and Deuel, 2, to CNH’s daycare centre, and uses the family support program while caring for her 2-month-old.
“They handle my kids with care and love. They don’t discriminate,” she says.
Obazogbon hopes to bring her husband to Canada eventually and sees promise for a good future for them all.
“You can live your life freely here,” she says.
Obazogbon has been able to use the computers in the lobby of CNH to work on her immigration paperwork and prepare for her English assessment test, and says she’s “so grateful” for the guidance she has received from the family support program as she navigates the uncertain waters of a new country.
“We’ll work with her and teach her how to advocate for herself,” says Philip Unrau, director of community programs and services for the Neighbourhood Group, which encompasses CNH and Neighbourhood Link Support Services.
“We don’t just try to give handouts. As long as they need us, we’re here. We try and give them their own voice.”
Family support co-ordinator Sandra Costa organized donations for Obazogbon and her family, including clothing, a baby stroller, bouncer and swing, much of which came from a mom who had used the program before.
“She was really happy to know all her things were going to another mom in need, just like she was,” says Costa, who currently has a caseload of 39 families, with 15 to 20 considered active, meaning they are calling her weekly, sometimes daily, for assistance.
Costa helps families with a variety of issues, including immigration services, securing housing, finding a doctor, filling out forms, or, in 75 per cent of the cases she sees, acting as the middle person with the Children’s Aid Society.
Families from all walks of life need her support, whether they are single moms, single dads, same-sex couples or grandmothers raising their grandchildren.
Costa has been working at CNH for 10 years and some of the families have been with her since Day 1, so she’s had a chance to see the children grow up.
“It’s really dear to my heart,” she says. “I love it. I couldn’t do anything different.”
Obazogbon relies on the daycare program and family support services, just two of the many programs offered by the Neighbourhood Group.
The United Way gives $1 million a year to help fund 47 different programs, including a high-demand, after-school club for more than 50 children at CNH.
“It is meant to meet the needs for those who don’t have any other opportunities,” says Unrau, adding the kids are given snacks and homework help as part of the free program.
There is also a very popular stroke survivors’ support group that runs four days a week at CNH, where as many as 20 people each day are given an opportunity for social recreation and cognitive exercises while their caregivers get a chance to recharge.
Neighbourhood Link Support Services, which also falls under the Neighbourhood Group, has 200 personal support workers assisting 2,000 clients, on average seeing 800 to 1,000 people each week.
“As the needs of the community emerge, we try to respond to those,” says Unrau, crediting the United Way for backing several pilot projects.
Central Neighbourhood House began as Toronto’s second-oldest settlement house in 1911, near what is now Nathan Phillips Square, but moved to Ontario St. in 1970 after three houses were sold to CNH for $1.
The neighbours who donated their homes were all friends of CNH.
Fundraising efforts in the community helped to renovate the homes into one large multi-purpose facility, which is now bustling with activity seven days a week.
The Raptors’ basketball club funded a new floor for the gym in 1995, which offers activities including a weekend youth recreation program, youth dance clubs, floor hockey, community line dancing, holiday dinners and community events.
Each year on Dec. 6, the gymnasium hosts a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, with approximately 400 people in attendance.