Ben

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 28, 2019 Comments Off on Ben
Ben Cunningham, Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness

Ben Cunningham leads the frontline shelter and housing stability teams at Unity Project that help hundreds of Londoners experiencing homelessness connect to coordinated housing supports.

The road to safe housing

By Scott Taylor, Special to United Way

It’s something most of us don’t think about—or at least don’t want to think about—but the truth is more than 300 people sleep in one of London’s four emergency shelters on any given night, while many more find themselves in an unsustainable situation, such as couch surfing with friends, packed together in a single room apartment, or living in the rough outdoors.

“When someone comes in to the shelter, they’re typically in crisis because they’re experiencing homelessness, so we help to stabilize them in the moment,” says Ben Cunningham, Housing First Team Leader, Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London. Ben provides leadership and oversight to the Housing Stability Workers and Frontline Shelter Support Workers at Unity Project. “Once that’s done,” says Cunningham, “we start to work with them on a coordinated housing plan.”

“Compassion and trust are huge encouragements for people who’ve known little of both throughout their life. So for us it really comes down to empathy: I’m here for you. It’s OK if you fail, I’ve got your back.”

Ben Cunningham, Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness

That means starting them on the road to finding safe, warm housing of their own. This includes many things most of us take for granted, including the proper identification and documents needed to rent an apartment, a source of income and a bank account.

Once that’s complete, Unity staff starts to provide housing advertisements in a price range the client can afford. And if needed, staff can help them make phone calls to landlords and even attend viewings with them.

Once secured, housing is maintained through Unity’s Housing Stability program, a United Way funded program providing intensive in-home support for participants with a history of continued or long-term shelter use. Housing Stability Workers help clients stabilize in their new home and develop greater independence, avoiding a return to the shelter.

Unity Project’s 37 beds are full every night and between six and eight people get housing of their own every month. As you might imagine, some landlords are reluctant to rent to those experiencing homelessness, or outright dismissive.

The truth is, though, it’s much easier to find employment when you have an address to put on an application. It’s easier to live a healthier lifestyle when you have your own home, easier to manage mental health concerns, and easier to address trauma that may have lead to problematic substance misuse.

“Typically, Housing Stability Workers try to advocate with landlords,” says Cunningham. “We can let the landlord know we’ll be coming into the home a couple of times each week to visit and help this person with life skills and living skills, and provide them with coaching in order for them to be successful in their tenancy,” Cunningham explains.

Even basic life skills, such as working a washing machine and cleaning an apartment properly can be elusive for some people who’ve been homeless and never been given the opportunity to learn.

“Compassion and trust are huge encouragements for people who’ve known little of both throughout their short lives,” Cunningham adds.

“A lot of times, people have their defenses up as a survival mechanism. So for us it really comes down to empathy,” says Cunningham. “I’m here for you. It’s OK if you fail, I’ve got your back.”

Scott Taylor is a former local journalist with lived experience of poverty. He moderated United Way’s panel discussion Bringing #UNIGNORABLE Issues into Focus. Read our other stories.

Together, more than ever.

“When someone comes in to the shelter, they’re typically in crisis because they’re experiencing homelessness. After we help stabilize them in the moment, then we start to work on a coordinated housing plan.”

Ben Cunningham, Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness

For too long we have only managed homelessness. Shelters should be a place to receive support to find housing.”


There’s an issue
Homelessness is hurting our community. A 1.8% vacancy rate across our region drives rents higher and makes it even harder to find decent, affordable housing, especially if you’re living in poverty. Without a stable home, it’s difficult to keep a job or stay in school, deal with addictions, raise a family or feel like you belong.

You can help
United Way supports a housing-first approach. Your generosity fuels programs that move people experiencing homelessness into independent and permanent housing with appropriate supports.

Last year, United Way invested $575,042 in affordable housing, financial products and services or emergency shelter, helping 1,569 people meet urgent basic needs and work toward long-term solutions

Here’s how

  • $52 provides 1 person experiencing homelessness with a daily visit to a local coffee house for social connections and support
  • $365 provides 5 people with move-in care packages once they are housed, including a grocery gift card, shower curtain, light bulbs, calendar, can opener, cleaning products and a fridge magnet with after-hours crisis service numbers
  • $1,200 provides 30 days of intensive, in-home case management for 1 person new to housing after experiencing years of homelessness
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Sonja

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 28, 2019 Comments Off on Sonja
Sonja Burke, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection Director of Harm Reduction Services

Local harm reduction expert Sonja Burke leads a team that serves hundreds of people across London who are experiencing addiction with a safe space, support services and access to medical supplies.

One of the toughest issues to tackle

By Scott Taylor, Special to United Way

As London continues efforts to reduce poverty and homelessness, one of the toughest issues to tackle is addiction.

Sonja Burke, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection Director of Harm Reduction Services, is a local expert. Burke and her team serve hundreds of people experiencing addiction in our community with a safe space, access to medical supplies, and support services.

“We see anywhere from 85 to 100 visits a day in our fixed location at Carepoint Consumption Treatment Service,” says Burke, noting that the service runs 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. “So we’re able to connect with people in multiple ways.”

“There’s this perception that people struggling with poverty, housing or mental health are the only ones struggling with addiction and that’s not true. I can assure you we deliver services to the north, south, east and west of this city.”

Sonja Burke, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection

The organization offers many other services, including mobile visits, crisis intervention, counselling and support groups, and works to ensure that the people they help are treated as more than just statistics.

Still, Burke acknowledges that there is a stigma towards people addicted to drugs that makes it difficult for others to empathize.

“There’s this perception that people struggling with poverty, housing or mental health are the only ones struggling with addiction and that’s not true,” says Burke.  “I can assure you we deliver services to the north, south, east and west of this city.”

The perception surrounding addiction is very much based in stigma and a lack of understanding around what leads people to struggle with addiction.

“It’s common to blame and judge people without understanding the reality that people don’t have access to supports that help address the trauma that led to the addiction,” says Burke.

“Addiction is all around us,” she continues. “But we often forget that the person is someone’s daughter, father or mother. Our work is about shifting people’s attitudes and views.”

Another controversial issue that has been in the news in London and elsewhere is supervised consumption sites. Regardless of where the City and the Middlesex-London Health Unit say it would do the most good, there has always been a movement to block the location. The logic of these arguments is lost on Burke.

“We’ve done a number of community consultations and the London Free Press has done surveys and the general consensus, in my opinion, is that people understand the need for support and services for people who are struggling,” says Burke. ”But really, it’s about not in my neighbourhood, not in my back yard. I hear that time and time again. If we could just put it here and not there, it would be fine.”

The challenge, she pointed out, is that a supervised consumption site is needed where the people who would use it are living.

“Some of the benefits of consumption and treatments services are it reduces the number of individuals who are publicly injecting, it reduces the number of discarded syringes, it increases the likelihood that somebody will get connected to community services, and it increases the ability to actually be connected to medical care and a medical facility.”

Taking this option away from the people who need it simply serves to marginalize them further.

“In the end,” says Burke, “the foundation of the work we do is that every person has value.”

Scott Taylor is a former local journalist with lived experience of poverty. He moderated United Way’s panel discussion Bringing #UNIGNORABLE Issues into Focus. Read our other stories.

Together, more than ever.

“Addiction is all around us. But we often forget that the person is someone’s daughter, father or mother. Our work is about shifting people’s attitudes and views. Every person has value.”

Sonja Burke, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection

People often ask me, what should I do when I see someone panhandling? I want to give them money but I’m concerned they’re going to use it for drugs.”


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Jeff

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 28, 2019 Comments Off on Jeff
Jeff White, Youth Action Centre

Jeff White helps street-involved youth understand the network of resources available so they can get their life back on track.

No wrong door

By Scott Taylor, Special to United Way

It’s a typical picture of a young man or woman with the future waiting before them. They’ve graduated high school and are preparing for university or maybe a job in the trades. They’re still living at home, of course, and enjoying time with friends before the serious aspects of life begin.

Sadly, that’s a world some will never know. In Elgin and Middlesex counties, too many young people are experiencing homelessness.

“Our philosophy is no wrong door,” says Jeff White, Ontario Works Trustee for youth under-18 and Dental Project Coordinator at Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), a United Way partner agency. “Regardless of how you become connected with YOU, we want to know what else you need. We provide complete wrap-around support all centred on housing stability.”

“Imagine yourself at 16. You’re expected to attend school, do well in school, maybe work part-time, and make friends. Your social life is becoming important and you’re developing a sense of who you are. Now imagine going through all that without a healthy, stable place to live.”

Jeff White, Youth Action Centre

United Way invests in two programs at YOU, the Youth Action Centre (YAC) in London and Next Wave Youth Centre in Strathroy. Both locations provide outreach services, basic needs support, employment counselling and housing services.

YOU serves more than 2,000 youth a year. Of those, 840 access things like hygiene, basic needs supplies and meals along with 540 receiving referrals to address physical health, mental health, addictions and housing needs.

“Imagine yourself at 16,” White says. “You’re expected to attend school, do well in school, maybe work part-time, and make friends. Your social life is becoming important and you’re developing a sense of who you are; your identity. Now imagine going through all that without a healthy, stable place to live.”

Young people find themselves homeless for many different reasons, White explains.

“Maybe you just came out as gay to your parents and they kicked you out or there is a history of violence and you had to leave for your own safety. You might spend the next couple of nights outside,” he says.

“If possible, you call a friend and ask to sleep on their couch. They might ask for how long. There’s an awkward silence because you don’t know. You might apply for Ontario Works because you’ve realized you need some sort of income to survive. That’s assuming you even know what it is.”

An additional issue is how quickly this type of lifestyle becomes the usual. According to White, youth begin to see homelessness as part of their identity after just 30 days.

As trustee, White attends the intake appointment where he assesses the housing situation of the youth. From there, he can refer clients to the YAC or to connect with one of the housing support workers for basic needs support, such as laundry, hygiene products, food bank, shower, and more.

Then they begin exploring different housing options and attending viewings with the young person.

Ideally, the housing support worker is able to assist the young person to secure a cheap room for rent. YOU YAC staff continues to provide support with food security, budgeting, life skills, paying bills, making referrals and helping make the youth’s new place feel like a home.

“Securing a residence is half the battle,” says White. “Sometimes the hardest part is maintaining it.”

“Without United Way’s support, we wouldn’t be able to reach the youth falling through those cracks,” he continues.

“We want to help that 16-year-old understand the resources available and see the people who truly care about them, even though they’ve never met. We want them to know they matter and deserve happiness, even when they don’t think so.”

Scott Taylor is a former local journalist with lived experience of poverty. He moderated United Way’s panel discussion Bringing #UNIGNORABLE Issues into Focus. Read our other stories.

Together, more than ever.

“I want to help that 16-year-old understand the resources available and know that they matter and deserve happiness, even when they don’t think so.”

Jeff White, Youth Action Centre

I don’t think a youth chooses to be homeless. A youth becomes homeless…


There’s an issue
Children and youth are our future and too many young people in our community are struggling. Poverty and lack of supports early on can make it harder for kids to access future opportunities. Today’s young adults are deeply affected by the changing nature of work and many are struggling to connect with their communities, finish high school and find meaningful jobs.

You can help
United Way targets the most at-risk youth in our community. Your generous support gives every young person a real opportunity to succeed, particularly those who are racialized, immigrants, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ or from low-income families.

Last year, $1,910,000 was invested in out-of-school time programs and/or individualized support for 13,720 young people, making them more likely to become successful adults

Here’s how

  • $52 or $1/week provides 4 at-risk youth a hot, healthy breakfast for two months, encouraging regular attendance at school and improving academic success
  • $365 provides a recreation centre membership, including access to My Action Plan to Education, a program that helps young people reach future education and career goals
  • $1,200 gives a young person 8 counselling sessions and an advocate with other service providers and their school
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