Pope Francis Fund - Recipients and Impact Stories (2020)

The following organizations received funding in 2020:

• The Salvation Army Centre of Hope
• Assumption Cares

• Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London

• Drouillard Place

• Mission Services London 

• The Windsor Residence for Young Men

• Ark Aid Street Mission 

• Second Chance Ministry

• Our Lady of Guadalupe Home for Mothers and Babies

Total funding allocated was $42,500.00.

Impact Stories 

Assumption Cares

Location: Windsor

In the month of February, 2020, Assumption Cares, the community outreach ministry of Our Lady
of Assumption Parish received a generous from the Pope Francis Fund. Over the
past year, amidst dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have done our best to
continue serving our west Windsor community. This grant has helped us to continue running
many of our programs and services, as well as start many new ones with great success.

The grant helped make possible the following:

• Assist with the costs of extra sanitization/PPE so that programs could continue
• Served 300 guests (avg. 30 per month) with our Feeding Pets Emergency Pet Food Bank 
• The St. Vincent de Paul Forgotten Harvest has served over 300 people a week with free fresh produce
• Helped over 60 families since September find free children's clothing and buy new storage bins for the clothing donations we have been receiving since September
• The purchase of a Zoom subscription that has allowed us to host multiple programs online, including: Conversational English for Newcomers, our Foodies Cooking Club, Mental Health Mondays, Coffee with Friends, a Trivia Night, an Advance Care Planning workshop, and many of our volunteer training sessions (4 sessions for 35 dedicated volunteers that work to provide compassionate care to Windsor’s west end. Four training sessions for incoming volunteers over 2020. Extensive training program for our volunteers that serves to move them toward becoming intentional disciples).
• One-on-one support to those who are more lonely and isolated in our community. Two Master of Social Work students joined the Assumption Cares team from September to December. Together with two other volunteers, they were able to call and support 28 guests on a weekly basis, connecting them to services and finding ways of helping them get what they need. Including the guests
• Delivery of 71 Santa For A Senior presents to those who are living alone this Christmas season.
• Helped finding transportation for an out-of-town surgery, 
• Helped a pregnant mother to navigate the government and healthcare system in her third trimester.

Thanks to the Pope Francis Fund grant, all programs continue to be free and available to anyone in the west end of Windsor without regard to race, religion, or gender. 




Submitted by: Natalie Steiner, Outreach Coordinator, Assumption Cares, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish

 

Organization: Drouillard Place 

Location: Windsor 

The Drouillard place focuses on helping families and children in the Windsor community. Throughout the year and into the COVID-19 pandemic Drouilllard Place has worked to think outside the box in order to continue helping people in the community. Through their Door Drop Package Program they have been giving parents tools to help engage their children and help them continue schooling from home. 

The money from the Pope Francis Fund was used to support the purchase of 611 of these kits, as well support to help find stable living arrangements for 3 individuals on the verge of homelessness due to
COVID-19. The remaining funds were used to buy grocery cards for families in need.   

For more information and to further support the Drouillard place go to: www.drouillardplace.ca

"It’s because of the Pope Francis Fund that we have been able to help so many during this especially challenging time.  Without it, we would not be able to meet the needs of our community.  While we have had to change our approach, we will continue to reach out and help those in need.”

-Kate Gibb, Executive Director

Organization: Unity Project 

Location: London

The Unity Project helps to support the homeless in London, giving them basic necessities and trying to find stable housing. Throughout COVID 19 Unity Project has been doing everything it can to protect the most vulnerable members of the homeless community, such as the elderly and those with medical conditions that make them more at risk (asthma, immunocompromised, etc.). During this time the Unity Project is working out of a hotel in order to protect both its staff and community.  

Originally the Unity project planned on using the funding to help with the purchasing of food but due to an increase in donations and from the support of the city of London this has been taken care of. However due to COVID-19 the Unity Project is no longer able to receive donated clothing. The funding is being used now as a way to purchase Canadian made clothing items to help support the homeless population. 

You can stay up to date with them by visiting their website at: www.unityproject.ca.

"Website helping Unity Project fill Santa Sacks" - London Free Press Article. 

"The non-profit budgeted to spend $100 a sack. It turns out each one costs about $150 to fill, but the Unity Project received a grant from the Pope Francis Fund of London earlier in the pandemic that will cover the difference, Langer said." 

   Photo - Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press

Organization: Windsor Residence for Young Men 

Location: Windsor

The Windsor Residence for Young Men focuses on assisting homeless males between the ages of 16 – 24. They help these young men gain the skills they need to be able to live on their own and help them to reestablish a safe and stable living situation. They help these young men find resources in their communities, learn responsibility, respect and a work ethic that will help them to stay in school and find job opportunities.  They average 44 admissions a year and have a 95% success rate keeping them off the streets and helping them find and maintain stability in their lives.

The investment made by the Pope Francis Fund helped to support the building of a new kitchen and purchasing furniture.  

To learn more about the Windsor Residence for Young Men go to: https://www.wrym.ca/   

"No matter what, WRYM always had my back and helped me when I needed it."

"I really liked how this program was focused, but felt like it was a family. I felt that I knew the staff really cared about my well-being. I felt at home here."

-Young Men from WRYM 

Organization: Second Chance Ministry 

Location: Windsor/Essex 

Our daily visits to those in need in the Windsor Essex area has led to many success stories. The Pope Francis Fund has helped us continue to assist those in need with food vouchers, bus passes, rent money, assistance with dentures or glasses, furniture and moving, etc. We’ve seen what a difference we make in the lives of those that need help most in our area.

Here are three impact stories from Second Chance Ministry

Angie M
Second Chance Ministry purchased a new set of dentures for Angie, and as you can see below, the difference is amazing.


Rob T
Rob contacted us to tell us how much he appreciates the help from Second Chance as he puts his life back together again since being released from prison. He stated: “I have had more than a 2nd chance in my life. I’ll do all I can now to be a good father; a good example.”



Stephanie L
Stephanie has struggled with drug addiction her entire life, and has been in and out of jail. Multiple times Second Chance has been there to help her furnish a new apartment, give her food vouchers, help with bus passes, whatever she needed. She states: “No matter who you are or what you have done Second Chance will always be there for you. They will never turn you away and if they can help, they will.”


Stephanie (left) with mentor Hetty Walschots

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Home for Mothers and Babies

Location: Windsor

With COVID-19 pandemic creating barriers in all communities, OLOG was not able to have their 2019 benefit dinner. The money provided by Pope Francis Fund has helped them continue providing services to their residents, especially having to unexpectedly purchase a new washing machine. The home now boasts a commercial grade machine to support the daily needs of between four and seven women in residence and their children. 

Mission Services of London

Location: London

Aftercare support for graduates of our live-in addiction treatment program at Quintin Warner House (QWH) is a key piece of their successful journey to recovery – not to mention the fact that it provides transitional housing for graduates until they find a stable place to live post-graduation.

Thanks to a compassionate and responsive community, including the Diocese of London through the Pope Francis Fund, our Aftercare Program was able to remain open and staffed throughout most of 2020. In spite of the pandemic, it provided support for graduates willing and able to take the next step in their path to stability by moving into one of our Annex Houses.

Graduates of QWH are encouraged to stay connected with the people and environment that helped them get their lives back on track. This is why taking part in our Aftercare Program is so vital to long-term client success (in terms of maintaining sobriety). Our Annex Houses can house 11 graduates between them. In the spring of 2019, that number was reduced to five (one entire house closed) due to the funding gap we were experiencing. Occupancy returned to normal in the fall due to strong support from caring donors.

Fast forward to March 2020 and as we all know, we entered a global pandemic. Many would concur that 2020 was the most trying year we have seen in our days! The challenges we faced in dealing with the COVID-19 virus forced some changes to our Aftercare Program. Due to physical/social distancing protocols set by the government, we had to reduce the number of beds we could have open, to eight. A space had to be created for new QWH clients to stay in isolation while awaiting a positive COVID test response and fulfilling the 14- day quarantine period, before they could enter the main treatment house.

The only space available was our Annex houses, so we made the decision to repurpose space at one of the Annex Houses in order to continue offering addiction treatment to men in need. Had we not made this important decision, new clients would not have been able to enter treatment and this would have decreased service as a whole.

Thanks to the creativity of staff, we were able to continue the main program, repurpose part of the Annex space in order to continue admitting clients, and at the same time still preserve some Aftercare space. While this meant a reduction in Aftercare beds, it meant addiction treatment as a whole could continue; as a result, QWH was one of the few programs of its kind to remain open during the pandemic, with only a short period of interruption during the early days in the pandemic in order to regroup and strategize a quick reopening.

Despite the difficulties 2020 presented, the QWH Aftercare program provided 646 nights of accommodation for men in the Annex houses from January – December 2020. In addition, we recorded 255 staff/client interactions that ranged from short check-in appointments and referrals to other outside agencies to one-on-one and group counselling plus help with things like job searches, links to further educational opportunities and housing options. A total of 8 graduates in the Aftercare program were able to secure stable, independent housing during 2020.

With the help of the Pope Francis Fund and the dedication of our community, we have raised over $95,500, a full 45% of the $225,000 needed to fund the Aftercare Program for five years! With deep gratitude, we thank the Diocese of London for its support of our Aftercare Program at Quintin Warner House through the Pope Francis Fund. Your donation has made a tremendous difference for the men who are committed to walking the difficult road to long-term sobriety.