Joe took his biggest step yet toward a stable living environment on Monday.
The 33-year-old Orillia man will occupy one of the 20 supportive housing units at the new Lighthouse at 75 Queen St.
“I’m excited. It’s been a long time coming. A lot of community work has gone into it,” he said. “It’s a stepping stone to a brighter future.”
He has been using the Lighthouse’s services on and off for a few years.
“It’s helped me when I needed it. It’s helped a lot of people. A lot of people succeeded because of the Lighthouse and some of the services that they’ve done,” he said.
Joe will have his own unit, including a kitchen, in the supportive housing building, where participants are allowed to reside for up to four years. During their stay, they can take part in life skills development and receive various types of support they need to live independently.
“There’s going to be structure and there’s going to be rules,” Joe said. “It’s going to be a learning lesson as we go, but they have some good things in place.”
That includes services to help him deal with his addictions, and he said he will do his best to make the most of that support.
“They’re going to monitor everything, and if people aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, there are people behind them, wanting to get in,” he said.
When it comes time to move out of supportive housing, Joe’s goals include finding his own place and getting a driver’s licence.
“I want to set some foundations, maybe meet a good girl and settle down,” he said.
They’re the types of goals Lighthouse executive director Linda Goodall and her team of staff and volunteers want to help participants like Joe realize. And finally being able to welcome them inside the new facilities is a major step toward making that happen.
While some of the supportive housing units opened to participants last week, Monday was the first day the Lighthouse opened the doors to its emergency shelter.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, local hotels have been home to the Lighthouse’s emergency shelter program since March 21, 2020.
“When we first went into the hotel, we didn’t know if we were going to be there for a month or three months. Almost 18 months later, we’re moving out,” Goodall said, noting the Lighthouse is the first shelter in Simcoe County to make a return to a congregate setting.
While she is thrilled to have participants stay at the new shelter, she knows it will be a big change for them.
While in hotels, they had their own rooms, washrooms and queen-size beds. They also ate their meals in their rooms. At the Lighthouse, they will be sharing units with one or two others and will eat in a congregate setting in the café.
“I feel for the shelter participants who have been in the hotel because they’ve had their own beds and a TV and meals in their rooms, out of necessity of the COVID emergency model,” Goodall said.
Lighthouse staff and residents are not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to show proof of a negative test. Everyone is screened upon entry. If they show any symptoms of the virus, they must take a COVID-19 test. There are rooms where they can be isolated until test results are received.
The current capacity at the emergency shelter, because of COVID-19 rules, is 37. It will eventually be 60.
COVID-19 precautions have forced Lighthouse officials to get creative with sleeping arrangements. The top bunks cannot be used, leading to less capacity. Instead, in some rooms, participants will essentially sleep toe to toe on the bottom bunks.
The Lighthouse was able to receive cots from the city that were used by athletes during the Orillia 2020 Ontario Winter Games. The cots are a temporary measure until capacity can be increased and top bunks can be used.
While some participants are less enthused than others about the new arrangements, many are looking forward to it, Goodall said, noting some showed up hours ahead of the move-in time Monday.
“You can see the joy on their faces and their excitement to be there,” she said.
Joe’s excitement was evident.
“I look at them almost like family because they’ve helped me in a lot of ways, helped me get into treatment in the past,” he said of Lighthouse staff. “I love my city. We’re lucky to have this facility.”
The Lighthouse is always looking for volunteers. Anyone interested can email [email protected].
