Stories to Share

Everyone Deserves the Chance to Break Free “Right now, I am five months and 18 days gamble-free. I think that’s probably the longest I’ve gone.” For Lori, her struggle with online gambling started in 2022 with a small, $20 bet on an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation website. It didn’t take long for her gambling […]

In a few short months, people in our community will leave homelessness behind by moving into Friendship Village! The first phase of this project, still under construction in downtown Kitchener, will provide housing and healthcare supports for 100 residents, providing a new pathway out of homelessness for people in our community. A second, later phase, […]

For Ayse, the Digital Skills for Employment class at House of Friendship’s Sunnydale Community Centre is a lifesaver. Ayse has been in Canada for three years, after leaving her native Türkiye (formerly known as Turkey) behind. There, she was a teacher. Today, she has found part-time work as an online English tutor, and relies on […]

Every week at Victoria Hills Community Centre, students have the chance to broaden their education at House of Friendship’s Adventure Learning program. Held after school, Adventure Learning encourages schoolchildren in Grades 2 to 8 to explore new subjects, by making math, language, and science exciting and fun. “We try to build a program based on […]

Oumar is in his second year of medical school at Queen’s University in Kingston, but he’s brought a little bit of House of Friendship with him. As a child, Oumar and his family arrived in Canada, leaving Iraq just days before the American invasion in 2003. They had to leave everything behind and start over. […]

“I’m not going to lie, I cry sometimes. I don’t cry in front of my kids, though,” Melissa Melissa has been looking for work for a year and feels like she’s running out of options. “I’m running out of money – and my baby bonus won’t pay my rent forever,” said Melissa. “I’m 40 years […]

Friendship Village is taking shape in downtown Kitchener, joining our current supportive and affordable housing buildings, Charles Village and Eby Village. We’re so excited to share with you an update on Friendship Village, our new Supportive Housing and Community Hub! The first phase of this new build, which will be home to 100 community members […]

For Jenny Harris, ShelterCare’s nurse, it’s often the small encounters with program participants that inspire her the most. “There’s something about these little moments,” said Jenny. “It’s when someone slowly knocks on the door and asks for help. Maybe their roommate said, ‘Go see her, she will try to help. “Then you might get a […]

Doug* never knew what it was like to be loved. *Name changed to preserve privacy. When he was a child, Doug remembers spending days on end in his basement, with only a black-and-white television for company. “My mother didn’t want me, and didn’t know how to take care of me,” said Doug. “Today, I would […]

Monika Wiesner still remembers the day when, in the early morning hours, she found a young woman asleep on the steps leading into a downtown church. “She appeared to be under the influence of something… and in trouble,” said Monika. As she tried to stand up, she began sliding down the steps. Monika stayed with […]