Goodbye! Hello!

Spring is coming, a time for change and rebirth. We bid farewell to our old friend, The Centre, and she'll be reborn as Sunflower Court. Adsum Centre has provided hundreds of women, gender-expansive folks and children a space for taking a breath and moving forward.

As we wrap up our time in this space, I have been reflecting on our work over the years and looking forward to the future and all the opportunities ahead. We are in a frenzy of packing, supporting residents to move on to independent housing or to our new interim space. Folks are excited. So much is happening.

On March 8th, International Women's Day, an Adsum Centre resident got the keys to her own apartment. These are the joys that we count. There is no better way to wish farewell to the Centre than this.

If the walls could talk here, they would ring out a cacophony of joys and sorrows, losses and achievements. Sometimes despair, but always hope. Over the past 17 years, nearly 300 women and children sought support here. Many moved on to independent housing and still stay in touch. Their children have grown up and their lives have improved. Many thrive. And many continue to experience hardship and adversity. Some are no longer with us.

I've had the privilege of coming to this place, this rare space, for almost 14 years for work. I've been fortunate to witness and hold the stories of hundreds of women, and the resilience I've observed is beyond remarkable.

I've also had the honour of working with an amazing team over all these years. Some faces have changed, and some have been here since the beginning. My lens and approach have grown exponentially since the first day I walked through these doors, and I am indebted to so many brilliant colleagues and clients for that. We teach and learn from each other, and that has been an exceptional work experience for me. And we are all moving forward together, keen to expand our work and excited for new possibilities.

Respect and dignity have been at the root of all our policies and decisions. Sometimes we got it right. Sometimes we didn't. We have had so much to celebrate, and also much to reflect upon and learn from. We can always do better.

On March 8th, we celebrated the housing of a Centre resident. At that same time, we learned that another person familiar to us from years ago, died, while homeless. Her death breaks my heart, and fires my rage. It strikes me again that while transitional housing offers much to many, the only answer to homelessness is secure, permanent housing, with no strings attached. That is agency. That is dignity.

The antidote to homelessness is home. And that's what we're building here: permanent, secure, beautiful, housing.

As we grow, we are not just creating a temporary reprieve. We are building a permanent community of respect and belonging. There is nothing better than that.

Cheryl MacIsaac, Program Coordinator

© 2019 Adsum for Women and Children

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