Stories to Share

I didn’t think it would ever come to this. I was sitting in the dark on the curb outside House of Friendship’s Shelter. It was a cold fall night, and I was waiting for a bed. I had nowhere else to go. I was tired, and I was scared, and I had one thought running […]

Anna Mae Steinman grew up as part of a strongly connected community. As a young Amish girl, Anna Mae was always surrounded by loved ones. She had cousins to play “house” with – often with the cousins themselves serving as “dolls.” Her aging grandfather, rather than moving to a nursing home, was cared for at […]

There’s a way that you can join the fight against homelessness – and share your compassion with your neighbours! By purchasing a lawn sign from Hockey Helps the Homeless Waterloo Region, not only will you be paying for one bed night at a local shelter, you will also be showing just how much you care […]

For Doug, being able to get food from House of Friendship’s Emergency Food Hampers program has helped him make ends meet as a single father. It makes that much more of a difference during the holiday season. “If it wasn’t for the Christmas Hampers, I wouldn’t have been able to celebrate Christmas with my daughter,” […]

At Sweet Beginnings, we shared how Shelter is being transformed through the ShelterCare model. We have seen incredible results that have captured national attention: overdoses reduced by 50%, 75% reduction in EMS calls, and 56 men housed in six month! ShelterCare is working! With integrated health-care and other supports, men have become healthier and housing […]

You’ve heard the highlights in local media – now we want to share with you the inside scoop on why ShelterCare is now getting National attention! We are learning so much every single day. It’s now clear that ShelterCare can be the triage for those who are homeless and help individuals exit the cycle of […]

For Immediate Release As part of a comprehensive Waterloo Region plan to address the challenge of homelessness in our community, House of Friendship is pleased to announce it will continue to provide its ShelterCare vision – integrated health care and shelter services – at a new location: the Tower at the Inn of Waterloo (475 […]

For Shelley Holmes, giving back is part of her heritage. Shelley, who has served at House of Friendship for more than 27 years, grew up in a family that made sure that others had what they needed. “I always remembered what my mom used to tell me: if you’re living, breathing and you’ve got enough […]

It wasn’t a typical summer for children in Waterloo Region – but camp still happened for many of them, thanks to you! While camp this year looked a little different, children living in low-income neighbourhoods still had the chance to connect, to learn, and grow through an innovative mix of in-person and virtual camp sessions […]

“I had no idea how bad my drinking had become.” It took a conversation with caring neighbours for Liz to realize that she had a problem. “They told me, ‘you’re a skeleton.’ I hadn’t realized it until they pointed it out.” Liz, 58, had always been a social drinker. She had spent years in a […]