By Megan Heck
Published September 2022
University Avenue Interim Housing (UA) is an apartment complex that consists of 80 dorm units meant for those who were unhoused and in need during the height of the COVID pandemic. At UA, shelter, a consistent food source, and community-based resources are available for all residents. It has been operating for almost two years, enabling a community to foster and a support system to be built.
When speaking with individuals employed at UA, I asked what they believe are the foundational pillars of UA that are most important to the overall functionality and success of interim housing:
Consistency in Support and Belonging
Due to an increase in housing instability, many community members rely solely on UA housing as their place of residence. Given interim housing brings people together from all walks of life, who each have experienced their own journey to UA, there are bound to be escalated, emotional moments. What is important about UA volunteers and employees is that they allow people to react, in whatever capacity it may occur, while also ensuring that they will continue to have a place to sleep, eat, and belong.
Escalations can occur, as everyone is bound to have moments of intensity, but that does not negate the fact that each deserves basic human needs. Shelter, food, and safe drinking water are not privileged resources and should not be treated accordingly. Instead, the support offered is reintroduced at a later point when emotions have de-escalated, and it is more likely to have a positive interaction occur.
For example, on one of my first days in the UA kitchen, a community member approached the window to ask for toast and eggs. While the eggs were ready right away, we had to wait on the toaster to serve their food completely. While this community member was waiting, another member approached him. While the details of the situation are unknown to me, the original member got very angry, which resulted in an escalation consisting of aggressive language and threatening comments. During this escalation the toaster popped, which caught the community member’s attention; I silently buttered the toast and presented their plate of food. While they were still angry, they stopped yelling long enough to take the food and thank me for it. The escalation concluded soon after, but I found it fascinating that while this community member was angry, they were still able to express gratitude and appreciation to me, as opposed to projecting their frustration to everyone around them.
The Working Centre Philosophy at UA
The Working Centre (TWC) prides itself on being a community and people driven organization by aiding anyone and everyone who seeks help regarding many things, one of which being housing. The year prior to UA’s opening, TWC outreach workers identified 250 unhoused individuals who exceeded the limitations of pre-existing housing projects. The opening of a two week warming centre at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, plus the time at the vacant Tim Hortons offered space to approximately 120 people a night in November 2019. Motel rooms provided some relief as well. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic closed all public spaces, the need for housing options persisted.
The owners of UA’s building identified that the site would be vacant, which presented the opportunity of interim housing for those in need. The foundation of UA was to provide support and residence to any community members who had nowhere else to turn, while also offering them the room to express themselves in whatever capacity required. It is experimental in nature, yet just as much an extension of TWC’s philosophy as well. By being flexible, UA is able to listen to the residing community members and cater operations to their needs as they are voiced. This open environment allows changes to be made quickly and when necessary. These changes include, but are not limited to, the way in which food is served and the availability and accessibility of community supports and employees onsite.
While UA is relatively new – it is quickly approaching its second birthday – there is always room for improvement. This desire for better ensures that community members are being supported in the best way possible, within the abilities of those supporting them.
Presence
I have observed that one of the central ways to build rapport and maintain connections between community members and staff is by being present. Showing up, remembering names and details about peoples’ lives, and being a familiar, friendly face goes a long way to indicate ongoing support. For example, knowing food preferences, medical needs, or one’s coffee order clearly shows that community members are not only supported but cared for by those around them. There is a drastic difference between a community member being told that support is available for them and being shown the support every day.
UA can be defined as a relationship-based project, as it functions based on providing support that caters to both the basic and individual needs of community members. To create and then maintain the trust necessary for UA to be successful, significance is placed on the presence of employees and volunteers.
In a conversation with an employee at UA, I was told that when UA opened many employees were new to the environment of being present during any type of behaviour and remaining calm. They were there to help but community members did not see them as trustworthy yet; this lack of trust was confusing for some employees, as they believed themselves to be trustworthy people who were trying to offer assistance. What these employees were missing is that the life lead by the community members prior to residence at UA was potentially riddled with manipulation, distrust, and fear. Trust must be earned, and, at UA, it has been over time. Employees have identified a drastically positive difference in the overall behaviour of community members towards each other and employees. By being present, being continually supportive, and being persistent with kindness and compassion, employees and volunteers at UA have fostered an atmosphere for community members to trust others and feel supported.
On my first day volunteering at UA, the employee who traditionally works in the kitchen was sick, so I was placed in the kitchen, briefly told what to do, and left to my own devices. I was unfamiliar with any of the individuals asking for food, the equipment to be used, and the standard of what I could or could not give out. While it was overwhelming at first, I was given patience and appreciation from the community members, which allowed me the room to figure things out. Some individuals even verbally guided me to help find items they were looking for, as they were more familiar with the kitchen than I was. As I was a new face around UA, community members expressed curiousity about who I was and why I was present. Similarly, the more I volunteered, the more comfortable I was with my role, and the more community members were comfortable with me.
The Power of Discourse
Edward Bulwer-Lytton said, “The pen is mightier than the sword”. The power of language is often forgotten,
given its everyday use, but UA employees and volunteers emphasize this idea through the particularity of the words they choose when addressing community members. As indicated earlier, while there is room for individuals to express themselves, employees and volunteers actively use language that expresses support and care to ensure community members feel heard.
The discourse that is practiced within community spaces, such as UA, is intentional to avoid the imposition of judgement. This is especially important as many community members are dealing with sensitive issues, such as addiction and/or mental health. Ensuring one speaks in an understanding, respectful way, with tone and body language in mind, can be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful interaction. One employee described their role in relation to community members as walking alongside them through life; each community member has a life of their own and UA employees are not there to change their lives, just exist within it offering support when necessary or sought out. Another employee expressed that each resident has their own goals in life, whether it be finding a stable job, transitioning to permanent housing, or living their life; however, it is important to understand what a community member’s goal is and avoid the desire to make the member’s life “better”, as everyone’s perception of “better” is different.
