WRYM's September 2018 Netletter

​WRYM’s 6th Birthday Party
WRYM’s 6th Birthday Party is on Wednesday, October 3rd this year, from 4-7 p.m. at the Caboto Club. The Community Awareness Award winner is to be announced. Raffle prizes are needed.

Travis – A Success Story
When Travis’s mother realized she did not have the time or ability to help her son overcome his mental health and behavioral issues which impacted their home life, she turned to Windsor Residence for Young Men for support.
Rather than simply telling Travis to leave their home permanently, she wanted him to be able to return if he was able to improve on the issues that made their relationship unhealthy. From diversifying his coping mechanisms for anger, to developing a self-reliant mind-set, Travis spent three months in the program attempting to meet the goals needed for a family reunification. Travis participated in counselling, worked on Kid Next Door jobs, attended a summer art camp, and began taking an interest in both his appearance as well as his hygiene.
​On a regular basis, Travis, his mother and our staff would meet to review progress and ensure everybody was satisfied with the plan. With encouragement from staff, both Travis and his mother even attended family counselling together to work on their relationship. With both Travis and his mother committed to their relationship, the tireless efforts of our staff and the continued dedication of all our supporters have made it possible for Travis and his mother to now live happily together again. ​

​WRYM is “on target”
The "What Would it Take?" Report Is a tool for change by Did French and Dr. Kaitlin Schwan , A Way Home Canada, and The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. In honour of International Youth Day 2018,  the report captures the perspectives of over 114 young people about ending youth homelessness in Canada, and it serves as a useful tool for policy and practice change.  Themes from the report were used at a recent Youth Conference held at the University of Alberta as a guiding framework for discussion. 
And, research is beginning to establish that your “investment” in our program designed to end homelessness -  not support the state of being  homeless - actually saves our community money.
See the one-page download “Ending Homelessness Saves $”.

ending_homelessness_saves__.pdf
File Size:	107 kb
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​Thank You, Green Shield Canada!
On Friday, the 10th of August, 2018, WRYM received $57,684 from Green Shield Canada for the fourth year of funding of our Mental Health Navigation program. GSC has provided the impetus to focus our ideas into an efficient and effective core program - one that is truly consistent with our approach to ending homelessness for “our guys.”
By teaching life skills we provide our guys with the independence necessary to walk away from abusive situations. Teaching them how to access existing agencies in our community, particularly in the field of mental health, is a vital life skill. WRYM was founded on the principle that we would not duplicate existing services but assist in accessing them.
Today the “magic word” is “collaborative” and we are proud to be one of the minor but dedicated players. For  more information, download the document Frontline Collaborator below.
Thank you so very much, Green Shield Canada! 
(PS - a "reliable source” says we should be able to announce more great funding news later in September!) 

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The Kids Next Door program resumes its school schedule
On behalf of “our guys”, I would like to thank all of you who sought their supervised assistance this summer. It was a very successful program that put some money in their pockets while teaching a work ethic and providing the same opportunities as their peers from functional families. Now, we are resuming our school schedule - Saturdays only - under the volunteer supervision of Joel Thibodeau, owner of My Green Knight home services. Joel’s a gem. 
Here's a Kids Next Door flyer for you!

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kid_next_door_flyer_-_revised.pdf
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​Welcome our new board member!
We are pleased to welcome Rev. Dr. Matthew M. Durham, csb, of the Basilians, to our Board of Directors. To  see a full listing of WRYM’s Board of Directors please visit our WRYM Board of Directors page.

​​Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach him to fish and he will feed himself for a lifetime.

Gregory D. Goulin, LSM, JD
Executive Director, (pro bono)​