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“Connor” and “the Guys” Thank You! Thanks to our supporters generosity another “Connor” will be sponsored at WRYM and additional resident needs will be met, including the renovation of our main bathroom (before it may flood our kitchen below!) Our sincere appreciation goes out to all of our supporters who Invested $22,427 in Citizenship.  The Makings of a Productive Citizen, like “Connor” This Canada Day, we may wish to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian. Such a question will conjure up many notions, surely; but, what it doesn't mean, is to be abused. It doesn't mean to be alone. It doesn't mean to be homeless. At WRYM, being Canadian means no one gets left behind, regardless of your family, your trauma, or your ability to meet the life challenges you were born into. About 6 months ago, “Connor” came to WRYM to escape physical and verbal family violence. At first, Connor was certainly unsure about how to carry on, afraid of the unknown. Connor couldn't imagine himself finishing school, keeping his friends, getting a job, or moving forward. Connor was fixated on his crisis. He was a potential survivor of abuse, in poverty, with no where to live, and no plan on how to solve his situation. We are so very proud of him, today! Connor has now received early acceptance to university; but, this is not all. He also found a part-time job, made it onto 2 school athletic teams, and is now looking at moving on from our program. We are excited for Connor starting life after The Windsor Residence for Young Men; but, he will always be a part of our "family" and the WRYM Brotherhood through Aftercare. There are many Connors. Many young men are trying to overcome family violence, trauma, marginalization, and discrimination. We believe, these youth deserve a chance to benefit from our functional family that supports a life with dreams and goals. When you think about being Canadian this Canada Day, be proud that you are Investing in Citizenship, invested in Connor, and helped support youth experiencing homelessness find the pride in themselves and the confidence in their future necessary to seize the rewards of a productive life which contributes to our community 
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By Investing in Citizenship Together We Become a Productive Community June is Canadian Citizenship Month at The Windsor Residence for Young Men. Our program was founded and remains designed to produce productive citizens from impressionable but homeless young men who might otherwise become broken men draining on our community resources, involved in crime, addictions, violence (domestic, chauvinistic and otherwise), dependent on welfare to exist. We do this by modelling a healthy family, sometimes the only functional family our guys have ever known, with respect for all, including one’s self. Homeless male youth 15-25 years of age are 8 times more likely to die “on the street” than their peers; and, males have a suicide rate 3 times higher than females. While males of the same age are the most violent demographic in any society, they are also the largest group to present with the most serious injuries and wounds at Ontario’s emergency wards. As well, they silently suffer about 40% of the sexual assaults within that age range. They, too, have been the victims of domestic assault; but, hopefully we can model a functional family to learn from and prevent repetition. Our community offers a wide-range of phenomenal services for women and children that are survivors of domestic violence and who are escaping abusive situations. But what about our guys (16-20 years of age)? What about a young man who has lived through that trauma, is a victim of abuse and wants to escape? Do male youth not get punched, hit or kicked, sexually assaulted or taken advantage of ? Do male youth not feel pain too? Since Jan 1, 2021, over 83% of the guys in our Transitional Housing Program were survivors of abuse. According to the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, "A child who has incurred a traumatic experience without proper care, has a higher likelihood of developing long-term psychological and physiological challenges in life." So, we must act. "Trauma is pervasive. It can be life changing, especially for those who have faced multiple traumatic events, repeated experiences of abuse or prolonged exposure to abuse. Even the experience of one traumatic event can have devastating consequences for the individual involved." (Canadian Center on Substance Abuse). We invest your donations in our guys’ future; but, they have to apply for admission and establish that they want to change their plight. WRYM is not a shelter to attend for a bed and a meal; rather, it’s program is similar to a scholarship program sponsoring those who want to learn basic life skills while staying in school or employment if not seeking to do so. In other words, our guys have to give to get – that’s citizenship. Unfortunately, our government seems to only sponsor shelter nights or room & board, not residential counselling and programming providing the life skills to transition youth off the street. Consequently, our community also has to give to get productive citizens from homeless youth who’s prospects only get worse the longer they are on the street. As a result, some of our supporters have pooled pledges to match your donations during the month of June, ending on Canada Day. At present, the donation match “pool” is up to $5,000 “deep”. If you wish to participate with a donation, mark it “citizenship”. If you wish to encourage others with a significant donation match, mark it “ citizenship match”. Last year, we managed to raise $16,925, sponsoring two residents. This year, we need to additionally raise $10,196 more to renovate our main bathroom after 10 years of hard use. You can click here or mail your cheques to the residence at the address below: 1505 Langlois Ave., Windsor, ON, N8X 4M3 Thank you for looking kindly upon these young men; because, they have tremendous potential. Even if they are “hard to hug” sometimes, they deserve a decent chance in life. Stay safe and please share this with your friends.
Greg Get Back on the Horse Again Isn't "experience" just messing things up and learning from it? In Liam's case, he had tried to make it on his own, spread his wings, and live in a different city. Unfortunately, Liam learned quite quickly that he did not have the discipline and skill sets needed to survive on his own. When his landlord decided that an eviction was needed, Liam returned to Windsor-Essex, where he was raised and still had some supports. As a former foster child, Liam's family was not able to house him, and sadly, he had never been very good at making friends. With nowhere else to turn upon his return to Windsor but a homeless shelter and the street, Liam came to WRYM with the goal of learning where he went wrong and moving back to independent living. After some consideration of his mistakes the first time around, Liam utilized his personal relationships for assistance, while also building knowledge, life skills, and reflection at WRYM. In less than a month, Liam decided he was ready to "get back on the horse" and live on his own. Due to his incredible motivation, a skilled and supportive team here at WRYM, and a bit of luck, Liam was housed in less than a week after he started looking. Residents like Liam always remind us at WRYM how a young person's journey is not "linear". For youth, the "ups" often come with the "downs". When they do, WRYM will be here to help them put one foot in front of the other, moving forward again.  Because of you, and the entire WRYM support base, we are proud to keep lifting youth like Liam back up. No one deserves to “fall off the horse”, without a hand up and back on.  Special Thanks We managed to raise $1,885 through “$10 from 10 for WRYM” and St. Clair College students added another $575 with their “Spread Smiles” campaign. So … while it appears that this type of fundraising did not appeal to most of our supporters, for which we apologize, it all helps to reduce the amount needed to renovate our main bathroom to $10,196 now. As well, Plasman donated three 58" smart televisions, two for our recreation room and one for our classroom, and a recreation room table and chairs. Vital Signs Vital Signs® is a community report that combines national, provincial, and local data with residents’ views on important local issues. It is based on your survey responses which provide Windsor-Essex residents the opportunity to comment on the quality of life in our region. It is intended for use as a resource to initiate conversation between community members, leaders, and organizations in Windsor-Essex and to inspire change in our community. The 2022 Vital Signs® survey is open now through August 12th, 2022. Click here to complete!  Wanna Golf? Registration is now open for WRYM’s 3rd Annual Golf Tournament. Interested golfers, sponsors and volunteers should click here to learn more! A Growing Brotherhood We all want to belong. Loneliness and isolation can deteriorate one’s self worth and sense of purpose like a leech on the soul. For Taylor and Austin, isolation had become a lifestyle. Taylor grew up in an abusive home, where he and his siblings were physically assaulted from a young age. Austin was also a survivor of abuse who became homeless after the police needed to be called during a particularly escalated event. Taylor and Austin both came to WRYM feeling very alone. Neither had a family member they could live with or an idea what to do about being homeless. After coming to WRYM, they “began to belong.” Taylor focused on his academics, and Austin got a job. Taylor connected with a mental health professional, an optometrist, and a social worker; Austin connected with an employment counselor, a financial trustee, and a doctor. Both learned a ton of life skills and set some wonderful goals for themselves. When the time came to look at moving out, costs and practicality led both youth to decide they needed a roommate situation. Very recently, Taylor and Austin moved into their shared unit!!! When they realized they needed a roommate, they decided to look to each other. At WRYM, we believe you choose your “family.” For many, the WRYM Brotherhood offers family to youth who would otherwise be by themselves. Because of the WRYM family, not only are both Austin and Taylor “off the street,” they are no longer alone. For us, this is a great success.  $10 from 10 for WRYM on our 10th Here’s the deal You ask 10 of your friends to donate $10 for the benefit of “our guys” at The Windsor Residence for Young Men. If a charitable donation receipt is desired, click on the DONATE button below. You and 10 of your friends can raise $110 to help end homelessness for youth. BUT, if your 10 friends do the same with 10 of their friends, another $1,000 is raised; and, if their friends each do likewise, another $10,000 will be raised, and so on, multiplying by 10 each time. The important part is that everyone takes the time to forward this request to 10 of their friends. If you simply donate $100 instead, the opportunity for $1,000 and then 10 times more will be lost. It is easy to simply forward our email, with our program flyer attached, to your friends; and, hopefully, each of them will do the same 10 more times. After almost 10 years, we need to raise $12,656 to refurbish our well used main bathroom; but, think about it: $10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 … with only $10 and friends. I should also mention it is our 10th Anniversary this year, too!  Golfers - Save the Date 
WRYM’s 3rd Annual Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2022 at Rochester Place Golf Club, 981 County Rd. 2, Belle River. Tee times will begin at 12:00PM. More details will be available soon. Please contact Sue at golftournament@wrym.ca for more information. There is no Magic to our Program, just Common Sense, once the Problem is Understood For those of you that found interesting the article on Housing First for Youth, HF4Y, and why such a program must differ from a one size fits all approach such as Housing First, which was essentially designed for chronically homeless adults, I have attached “Pathways into Youth Homelessness” (click below). The many ways and reasons why youth find themselves homeless are explained in this new article, which gives greater insight into the “hows & whys” by which our program has proved itself so successful.  Jerome Falling down is a part of life. Staying down is a state of mind. For Jerome, there was not much further to fall. Jerome was unemployed, creditors were coming after him for unpaid debts, alcohol use was becoming more common, and his family had given up trying to help. So, Jerome had nowhere to live and no one to guide him. Rather than just live on the street or go to an emergency shelter, Jerome decided to contact WRYM to see if he could get help. WRYM offered Jerome structure in his daily routines, positive role models in his corner, important personal goals to work on; and, eventually, Jerome decided not to give up. Soon after, Jerome was employed full time, focused upon how he could get back on his feet; and, saving to live on his own. 6 weeks later, Jerome moved into an apartment leaving homelessness behind. We were sad to see him go, but cannot overstate how excited we were as well. For us, seeing Jerome turn his entire life around in less than two months was inspiring for our whole team. We never gave up on Jerome, and now, he won't give up on himself, especially with our Aftercare continuing to back him up. The next "Jerome" needs your help too This March only, Make It Monthly with an extra $20 from CanadaHelps! This March, CanadaHelps is raising the bar on giving by helping your donation go further. When you set up a new monthly donation of $20 or more, CanadaHelps will make an additional $20 one-time donation as well to the Windsor Residence for Young Men. With a monthly donation, you can make a difference year-round. We can plan ahead and spend more time focusing on our mission, instead of worrying about fundraising. Plus, it can be easier on your budget, too. Don’t miss your chance to make a bigger impact!  Stay safe and please share this with your friends. -Greg 
The Deacon Ray Scholarship Recipient! In 2021, a memorial scholarship fund was created for WRYM in honour of the late Deacon Ray, who was a long time advocate and supporter of vulnerable people here in Windsor. Due to the remarkable support that this fund received, we are pleased to announce that $1,000.00 has been provided to a former WRYM resident, to assist them with their post-secondary education expenses, due to their exemplary academic commitment and volunteer work in their community.  “John”, (name changed to protect privacy), came to WRYM after irreparable issues with his parents left him without a place to live. Although he faced a lot of uncertainty with the COVID 19 pandemic and his housing situation, he never lost sight of his priorities. We would often have to counsel John to put the books down, the calculator away, and go have fun! John would always explain how math was in fact fun and why he believed it explained the universe, (which none of us could understand!). Due to John’s hard work and his ability to follow our Transitional Housing Program’s fundamentals, he was able to transition from WRYM back into post-secondary school, where he continues to excel today. We are so grateful to be able to provide John with this $1,000.00 grant, and hope this tribute to Deacon Ray brings joy to his friends and loved ones. Rough Night Out 2022! Get ready!!! The Windsor Residence for Young Men's 6th annual Rough Night Out will begin on Friday, February 18th at 6pm and continue until 7am Saturday morning! Do you have what it takes to make it all night? Participants will be "sleeping rough," as homeless youth may be forced to do, in order to raise awareness and funds to support WRYM as we help end homelessness for youth. Due to COVID 19 risks and restrictions, this event will occur virtually, and participants will sleep rough in locations of their choosing based on adherence with public health restrictions.  Those interested in participating in this campaign can click here and "create a fundraiser," or visit our website at www.wrym.ca. You can also sponsor one of our “rough night champions,” by selecting a team listed on the link provided. Questions? Please contact executivedirector@wrym.ca Interestingly, this fundraising event corresponds with the recently announced Ontario Nonprofit Sector Week of Appreciation which will now take place the third week of February each year. The first Appreciation Week takes place from February 14-20, 2022. The week is intended to recognize the exceptional people in the nonprofit sector whose work transforms the lives of individuals, families, and communities. A Special Thank You  Again we would like to express our appreciation to the employees of the Home Depot and their customers at Division Rd near Walker, here in Windsor. We have just learned that their Orange Door campaign efforts and generosity raised an additional $13,486 during our Season of Giving. Stay safe and please share this with your friends.
-Greg Vindication Despite initial opposition, WRYM’s program was a decade ahead of its time. The original Housing First model is now acknowledged not to have been one size fitting all and would have inappropriately placed our guys, homeless youth, at an adult shelter, like the Downtown Mission, (but not so for our at risk female youth for which there were 3 specialized places of refuge). I highly recommend you spend a few minutes reading the attached article from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, also known as The Homeless Hub, at York University. (You might even notice that the schematic explanations used in the article look an awful lot like the ones we devised years ago and still use today).  Some Thoughts on Holiday Gifts With regard to your requests for items that “our guys” may need, might I offer a few thoughts. First, each guy’s needs are truly meaningful, are unique; and, our counselors know them best. Second, many kind and generous folks make similar requests each year with the result that, in addition to duplication, the guys invariably end up with more “stuff” than they have ever received, (more than my own ever did and they lacked for little). Most often this results in the really unintended negative result that after leaving us they look back and they realize that their best Holiday Season, things wise, was at WRYM, resulting in them questioning the progress they have made, for themselves and their own children.
organized by a person like you. Our staff then does the shopping that meets the individual needs of the guys, even if it’s as simple as the right size. Donations can also be made in the name of a friend or loved one. In fact, “tribute giving”, as it is called, is a very simple and popular option during the Season. WRYM's annual program budget is almost $400,000. With an average of 40 residents assisted each year, the annual cost per resident is about $10,000. AND, some of our donors, individually or in groups, have taken on the responsibility of sponsoring one or even more of “our guys” each year. Give a homeless youth breakfast, lunch, and supper for 1 day - $5.00 Give a homeless youth a 2-hour life-skill counselling and training session - $20.00 Give a homeless youth 1 day of housing, emotional support, food, and life-skill teaching - $100.00  And from Tuesday November 30 to Sunday December 19, customers of The Home Depot at Walker and Divisions roads in Windsor (store #7228) will be asked by Home Depot employees if they wish to take part in The Orange Door Project. With a $2 donation at the cashier or online, customers can help WRYM and formerly homeless youth as they empower themselves as full citizens. All funds raised at that store, and sponsor funds, will benefit residents of the Windsor Residence for Young Men. Stay safe and please share this with your friends. Greg November 30th, is Giving Tuesday, the start of WRYM’s Seasonal Giving Campaign AND An Anonymous Donor has pledged up to $10,000 to Match your total Donations !!!
WRYM's Deacon Ray Scholarship
Is WRYM the Missing Link? Below is a very interesting Maclean's article that explores outcomes of Foster Care youth, and young persons who have been "in the system." https://www.macleans.ca/society/life-after-foster-care-in-canada/ Within this article, former Children's Aid Wards discuss their entry/exit from the Child Welfare system and explain some of the challenges they experienced. It is explained how these young people are forced to "age out" at 18 without the life skills and connections they need to be successful, leading to many hardships and poor outcomes. At WRYM we run a "functional family atmosphere," and we believe you don't "age out" of family. This is why our Aftercare program is available to any of the 372 youth who have been at WRYM since we opened our doors. Through Aftercare, we provide thousands of different supports to past-residents in their efforts to forge their own paths. WRYM's residential program goes up until the age of 24, to ensure young people have reached the maturity they need to be successful living independently, and our focus for the Transitional Housing Program is primarily on life-skills, to teach young people how to care for themselves when they leave. The idea is simple - make young people feel like they belong, teach them how to thrive, and support them on their journey. Although simple, it is effective. Attached is our statistics for 2020, to help demonstrate how our approach leads to positive outcomes.  Our mission statement says it best: We help young men to overcome homelessness and build new lives. Stay safe and please share this with your friends.
Greg From Dropping Out, to Moving In |
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| Time is not the Essence There comes a moment in time when a situation gets tense, and we each think "I need a break." All of us can conceptualize the need to escape from a stressful situation. BUT, what happens when there is nowhere for a young person to go? What if the only place they know is where the tension exists? How long before things become unmanageable? |  |
For Steven, tensions in the household were rising and he had no friends or family in the city where he could go to get some support or reprieve. Despite the caring and loving parents in his life, there were escalating disagreements about his future. Steven wanted to work, and his parents wanted him to continue college. A simple disagreement, but one both parties felt passionately about. After an argument escalated into an unhealthy situation, Steven did not feel safe continuing to live at home and he came to WRYM for help. Very quickly, our staff were able to support Steven emotionally and provide him with the reprieve he needed regarding the disagreements at home. Steven's parents spoke with staff about their desire to end the disagreements and have Steven return home as soon as possible. Staff assured Steven's parents that WRYM would counsel him to return home when he felt it was safe to do so, and that a break from the home may be all that is required for emotions to settle.
In less than 24 hours, WRYM staff were proven correct when Steven's parents picked him up to return home.
The entire family appeared relieved about this decision. Had WRYM not been there to provide the reprieve Steven and his family needed, where would he have gone? Would he ever have made it home again when he decided he could not take it anymore?
Due to one short day at WRYM, we will never need to know what could have happened. What we do know, is that Steven is home and safe now. And Our Supporters helped make this possible!
Without you, we could not have made this happen for Steven. Thank you for being a supporter of WRYM. Please consider becoming a monthly investor by signing up for automatic donations each month, as found on our Canada Helps page!
In less than 24 hours, WRYM staff were proven correct when Steven's parents picked him up to return home.
The entire family appeared relieved about this decision. Had WRYM not been there to provide the reprieve Steven and his family needed, where would he have gone? Would he ever have made it home again when he decided he could not take it anymore?
Due to one short day at WRYM, we will never need to know what could have happened. What we do know, is that Steven is home and safe now. And Our Supporters helped make this possible!
Without you, we could not have made this happen for Steven. Thank you for being a supporter of WRYM. Please consider becoming a monthly investor by signing up for automatic donations each month, as found on our Canada Helps page!
The Windsor Residence for Young Men needs long-term partners to help youth who are experiencing homelessness. On average it takes almost $400,000 per year to make sure that youth in Windsor-Essex receive the housing, supervision, food, clothing, case management, support, compassion, life-skills and the aftercare they require to end homelessness once and for all - even during this challenging COVID 19 era, when youth have less options than ever before. Remember, youth are not “discharged” from functional families, through our Aftercare services concern, care and advice continues to be provided and expands as WRYM’s “family” grows.
How much is a young person's life worth?
What WRYM does now will also significantly benefit our community now and in the future, with the productive citizens “our guys” become. Please consider being a long term partner and sign up to make monthly investments in our community through our automated system in order to help a youth in Windsor find a place to call home again.
What WRYM does now will also significantly benefit our community now and in the future, with the productive citizens “our guys” become. Please consider being a long term partner and sign up to make monthly investments in our community through our automated system in order to help a youth in Windsor find a place to call home again.
Thank You Landscape Ontario, Windsor Chapter!
| The Board of Landscape Ontario, Windsor Chapter, held a golf fundraiser for their members with all entry fees and donations directed to the Windsor Residence for Young Men. We would like to express our appreciation to them and their tournament sponsor, Landscape Effects, for making this significant donation possible. |  |
Thanking Jason Weinberg
| Finally, I would like to thank Jason Weinberg, our new Executive Director, for providing you with the stories about “our guys” as well as making them possible. If you would like Jason to speak to a small group by attending in person or by Zoom, it can be arranged. There are many more stories, program details, data and statistics at his fingertips. |  |
For instance, did you know that our Youth Independence Program, which he devised, is now being adopted by other agencies across Ontario?
Stay safe and please share this with your friends.
Greg
 | Gregory D. Goulin, LSM, JD (ret.), Editor |
