Taking Risks for Recovery - LOFT Community Services

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4 Taking Risks Because Every Person Matters It is a fundamental belief at LOFT that every person deserves a chance to live their life beyond disability, poverty, abandonment and loss of hope. For this reason, we take risks to reach out to those most in need: people with complex challenges, people who don’t neatly fit certain criteria, the people who are often rejected by mainstream services. Our clients include people with mental health or substance abuse issues or both, people who have been homeless, who live with physical health challenges, the poor, the frail, the abandoned and the isolated. These are Our People, and every one of them matters. That’s why LOFT is here and that’s why we believe the risk is worth taking. Highlights of the Crosslinks Programs: York Region and the northern extremities of the City of Toronto are areas where we see a great need for our services. As a result, this is the geographic area where we are seeing the greatest growth in services. 1988 – LOFT Crosslinks Housing and Support Services opens its first house in York Region for adults with mental health challenges. 1998 – launch of Crosslinks Street Outreach Van, still the only street outreach program in York Region. 2007 – Crosslinks Seniors Housing and Support Services opens to serve at-risk seniors in the Jane & Finch neighbourhood. 2009 – Crosslinks Seniors - Jane & Finch doubles in size. “Everyone gave up on me. I gave up on myself.” Taking Risks for Recovery 2011 – Crosslinks Seniors – York Region is launched with the goal of providing supportive housing to 50 at-risk seniors with mental health issues in the Bradford area. Early 2012 – LOFT is chosen as the operational lead in York Region/South Simcoe for Behavioural Supports Ontario, a new provincial initiative aimed at preventing unnecessary hospitalization by providing a rapid and knowledgeable response when seniors exhibit behavioural issues resulting from mental health or addiction challenges or dementia. LOFT programs in Jane & Finch and York Region – the “Crosslinks” programs: • Total number of clients served in York Region & northern Toronto in 2011/12 – 2,050 • Number in LOFT housing – 395 • Number served by Crosslinks Street Outreach Van – 1,397 • Number served by Crosslinks Seniors – Jane & Finch – 258
I came here eight or nine weeks ago after 14 months in jail. I was in on a bunch of charges from drugs to assault. My life was a shambles. I’d been using every drug you can imagine - crack, cocaine, opiates, alcohol. I was headed for selfdestruction. My mental health problems were really at a peak. I was not well. Now I look back and see being arrested as a good thing. I see it as being rescued. In jail, I met a worker who introduced me to the Mental Health & Justice Initiative. It is great being here. I know I am stable here. I’ve been 20 months sober and I know I’m in Recovery. Before, when I was sober, I can’t say I was in Recovery. But now I am. It’s the first time I’ve lived by myself in all of my 44 years of life – and I won’t lie, it does get a bit lonely at times – but I know if I ever need someone, I can go downstairs to the common room and there will be someone there who knows my name and can help me. To know there is always a safe place I can go has helped me a lot. It’s a community; we’ve adopted each other. The biggest positive change for me is being able to trust, to feel I can just be myself and Kevin’s Story I won’t be judged for who I am or what I’ve done. Trust is a huge factor. I grew up in Regent Park with a bad environment and poor influences. I started boxing – I was an angry kid and it helped. I was good at it. But really it was just a way to beat someone up and get away with it. I started drinking when I was 14 and I was addicted right away. Between 14 and 35 I was in and out of prison, homeless at times. When I was 35, I went into treatment and got cleaned up. I got a job in social services as a support worker. I helped people who were in my position. I knew what it was like to walk in their shoes. I got married, I had a child. But it slowly started to unravel again. In a professional capacity I was coaching people on getting their life back together but after work I was drinking, I was taking drugs, I was violent. Eventually, my wife kicked me out. Coming here is huge. I’ve been approved for independent housing, and I will still have the support of LOFT available to me when I move. That’s so important to me. I trust that my worker will be there. I trust that LOFT will be there. LOFT challenges me to get better and my journey keeps getting better with LOFT. The Mental Health and Justice Initiative works with people who have experienced mental health and substance abuse challenges as well as homelessness, and who have been in conflict with the criminal justice system. Last year over 90 men and women whose minor crimes were related to their mental illnesses, might have been incarcerated with no mental health services. Instead, they slept safely and peacefully in places of their own because of their involvement in this initiative. LOFT Community Services Report to the Community 11/12 5
Page 1 and 2: Taking Risks for Recovery Report to
Page 3: Dear Friends and Supporters, The th
Page 7 and 8: Paige’s Story The newly establish
Page 9 and 10: Debra’s Story Last year, the Prov
Page 11 and 12: In 2011 LOFT’s McEwan Housing and
Page 13 and 14: Marion & Hugh Chambers The Charitab
Page 15 and 16: Janet Lewis Michelle Li & Robert Fo
Page 17 and 18: Althea Ferguson Matthew Fernandes I
Page 19 and 20: Brenda Sohn Jenny Sohn Michelle Soo

Taking Risks for Recovery - LOFT Community Services

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