Past Resident Update - Our Odd Couple

In the fall of 2020, we were thrilled to tell you about our "odd couple," Oscar and Felix, who were friends in the residence that we were able to house together.  Well, three years later, Oscar is still a quiet, carefree, and gentle soul; and, Felix is still as excitable as ever, with more projects on the go then there is time in the day. 

Although these two are still great friends, we are sad to say, it was time for a change!  With the support of our Aftercare Worker, both young men were able to continue housing and find different options that they found preferable (with new roommates). Sometimes opposites don't attract! 

We feel this short update shows the impact our simple programs have in a youth's life. Three years after Oscar and Felix left WRYM, our staff were still there.  When life changed, Oscar and Felix didn't need to return to a couch, the streets, or an emergency shelter, because they had the support they needed to find and continue their housing. For the 100+ youth served in Aftercare every year, we are preventing homelessness, not responding to it.


WRYM's Awards Reception

The Windsor Residence for Young Men will be hosting an Awards Reception on Thursday November 2, 2023, at the Ciociaro Club (Salon F), from 7:00PM to 9:00PM, to show our appreciation for the many individuals and businesses who have been instrumental in supporting us over the years.  This event is free for attendees with appetizers provided. Space is still available to attend! 

During the event, we will be celebrating our founder Greg Goulin and his retirement from WRYM by honouring his 22+ years of volunteer service with a Legacy Award.

Attached is a flyer for the Awards Reception. We are so pleased to announce that retired broadcaster Jim Crichton will be our Masters of Ceremony, and former CFL player Frank Renaud will be our keynote speaker.   

If you would like to attend this event, you can RSVP by email to [email protected].  Space is limited, so we will be accepting reservations on a "first come, first serve" basis.  Please note, RSVP's are required for attendance. 


​Thanksgiving for All

We want to give thanks to all of our supporters, volunteers, donors, and champions who keep WRYM and our mission close to their hearts.  It was incredibly heartwarming and inspiring yesterday to see the amazing group of youth who are here right now sitting together in our dining room sharing in the holiday as a "family" would. 

Without you, our supporters, partners, and donors, 7 youth would have spent last weekend in a position of homelessness, instead of at WRYM sharing a meal with new friends.  Your support has truly helped change someone's life.

Thank you. 

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Family Violence, Mental Health, and Homelessness

Commonly, we are asked "why do most of the youth at WRYM become homeless?" Some folks will guess drug use, criminality, financial management, etc. It is my opinion that many citizens we speak to assume the fault is in the youth and their actions. Perhaps it is easier for someone to accept the reality that young people live on our streets if the blame can be placed on them.

Although every youth has their own story and each is unique, there is a commonality that we think is noteworthy for our supporters to be aware of. Last year 88% of youth in our Transitional Housing Program identified being victims of family violence and/or survivors of abuse. Interestingly enough, 88% of youth also identified suffering from one or more mental health concerns. 

We think this reality is crucial for us to publicize often and loudly: the majority of the youth we serve grew up in environments where they suffered horrific abuse. Most of whom are now suffering from mental health concerns as a result of historical trauma.

It is well-known that survivors of trauma require a unique approach to move forward and establish resiliency. In response, we are excited to announce that WRYM has developed and begun a Family Violence Recovery Project within our Transitional Housing Program, where residents can get increased staffing support, as well as receive in-house counselling regularly.

We want to extend our gratitude and appreciation to the Solcz Family Foundation for funding the Family Violence Recovery Project and believing in the importance of the young people we serve. The significance of your faith and support in this effort is beyond words.


WRYM's Golf Tournament is in Full Swing

We want to thank all of our sponsors, volunteers, supporters, and participants who have signed up to join in our annual golf tournament Sept. 10, 2023.  It is so exciting to see the amount of support we have received from local businesses, as well as the 60+ golfers who have signed up. It is going to be such an exciting day!

Thank you for making this event possible.


Thank you for being a friend and support to WRYM. 
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Four Months to Change a Life

In April, Martin's parents decided they were leaving Canada.  Although Martin pleaded for them to stay, he was left in Canada alone, without somewhere to live or other family to turn to.  Being a student without any income, rental experience, or knowledge of the systems to help him, Martin was unequipped to survive on his own and turned to the Windsor Residence for Young Men for support.

While living at WRYM, Martin was able to eat 3 meals a day, take care of his personal needs, have a safe place to work on his schooling, and get support from our team to help him create a plan to overcome his homelessness.  Over 4 months in the program, Martin successfully finished his semester of school, AND gained employment.  We saw this young man grow exponentially, turning into a confident and independent young adult who became increasingly able to self-resolve day to day issues and challenges.

Although we are going to miss him, we are so excited to announce that he is moving into a private market rental on August 1st!  It's hard to imagine living in a country with no family, no income, and minimal life experience.  When you add homelessness into that dangerous mix, the odds of overcoming such extreme challenges seem astronomical.  BUT, because of this residence, our team, and your support, we are so thrilled that Martin beat the odds.

Moments like these are special for us, and we want to share the success with you.  Now our attention turns to the other 7 youth in the house, and all the others who follow them.  One at a time we truly are ending homelessness for youth.


WRYM'S Annual Golf Tournament - Sept. 10, 2023 @ Rochester Place Golf Course

If you are interested in a truly fun way to cap off your summer in 2023, please consider joining us for our golf tournament on Sept. 10, 2023.

Attached to this email is all the information for the tournament, as well as sponsorship opportunities for anyone who may be interested in supporting our work while also promoting their business.

As WRYM receives no municipal or ongoing government funding, we truly rely on our corporate, business, and individual sponsors to continue housing youth like Martin.

Thank you for considering joining us and we hope to see you out there.

INVESTing in Citizenship was a Great Success!

Thanks to you, we are excited to announce that our Invest in Citizenship campaign raised $47,055!  We find it incredibly inspiring that so many individuals chose to celebrate Canada Day by helping us give youth experiencing homelessness a chance to become healthy and productive citizens of our community.

On behalf of our entire team and the many youth we serve, THANK YOU!


What if Community was a Part of the Solution?

The Homeless Hub recently shared an interesting article about youth homelessness and ways a community can combat it.  Although WRYM is not technically a "host home", we think the ideas and lessons shared by the Homeless Hub in this article showcase why our work is so vital.  If you're interested to learn more, please see below.

https://www.homelesshub.ca/blog/what-if-community-was-part-solution-youth-homelessness?utm_campaign=hh&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter


WRYM's Annual Golf Tournament - Sept. 10, 2023 @ Rochester Place Golf Course

We are so pleased to be running our 4th Annual Golf Tournament on Sept. 10, 2023.  All levels of golfers are welcome to sign up.

For those who don't want to golf, please consider joining us for a delicious meal and some fun raffle opportunities!!!

Additionally, if your business is interested in cost-effective advertising opportunities while also helping us end homelessness for youth, our sponsorship options are a fantastic way to expose your company to new potential customers and support the work we do at WRYM.
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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.

This year Greg Goulin and Brian Cohen have each pledged $10,000,  ($20,000 in total), to match your donations during the month of June, ending on Canada Day. If you wish to “meet their match” with a donation, mark it “citizenship."

Our program was founded and remains designed to produce productive citizens from impressionable but homeless young men who might otherwise become broken adults draining on our community resources, involved in crime, addictions, violence (domestic, chauvinistic and otherwise), and dependent on social assistance.  We do this by modelling a healthy family, sometimes the only family "our guys" have ever known, with respect for all, including oneself.

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.

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, its 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.

Consequently, our community also has to give to get productive citizens from homeless youth whose prospects only get worse the longer they are on the street.

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.

Note: Existing monthly donations, in-kind and donations for other purposes, are not eligible for “match”.  To “match” you can click on the donation square below or mail your cheques to the residence before June 30th.

 
🎉 Thank You to All of Our 50/50 Participants 🎉

Congratulations to Kimberly Rathbone, who purchased the winning 50/50 ticket and won $827.50!!!