Ten years ago, our Cridge supported daycare at Vic High (Higgins House) was faced with insurmountable challenges – no space and no funding. Vic High needed the daycare space for its expansion. The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) decided to stop funding support daycares. Higgins House had to close. But The Cridge was not about to give up on the young moms and their children!

The question was – how were we going to go forward with our commitment to supporting young moms and their children. We attended community meetings and plotted and strategized. It became apparent that many young moms throughout the Capital Region needed support to face the challenges of adulthood and parenting, not just the ones who were attending Vic High or connected to daycare. Outreach support seemed the obvious approach.

Funding was cobbled together, and Nicole Andrews was scooped up from Higgins House and launched into creating The Cridge Young Parent Outreach Program (YPOP). She started out in the corner of the Cridge Daycare front office, using her own vehicle, supporting 12 young families on very part-time hours. Demand for the program increased, more funding was cobbled together for more hours, a bigger office was created, a program vehicle purchased, and Nicole’s caseload more than doubled. Ten years later, Cridge YPOP has actual program space (in Unit #6), the car is still going strong, and so is Nicole who juggles up to 30 young moms and 40 children.

 What has Cridge YPOP meant to the young moms who have accessed the program? Here are some of the comments from over the years:

“I have been able to do things on my own which was never possible for me. It has helped me be a better parent to my children and I have learned how to cope with my everyday life which was not the case before I started working with my [Outreach] worker”.

“When I feared of failing as a parent and where on earth to go in my life – help was offered by wise words and resources”.

“The program helped me get my daughter back, facilitated access, mentored me and counselled me. I am forever grateful”.

“Nicole mainly helped me deal with the social stigma about being a low-income single parent. Nicole also helped me gain enough self-esteem to join the workforce”.

We are so blessed to work with all of these families and to have had the support of all the other Cridge programs in giving us space and working so closely with us.

We are celebrating our 10^th Anniversary COVID style. Families are visiting the YPOP space all during the week of July 13 to have some treats, do some shopping in the Free Store, and to make a “Growing Together” scrapbook.

 

By Marlene Goley, Manager of The Cridge Transition House and Outreach Services

Today we want to highlight the work of one particular member of The Cridge family – Tori is the  Community Program Coordinator for Community/Outreach and Mary Cridge Manor programs and services with The Cridge Brain Injury program. She joined The Cridge Brain Injury Services team in June 2007 as a brain injury support worker. She shared that her first experience was working with stroke survivors. It was a great and humbling experience for her to see the challenges they and their families needed to overcome in the process of rehabilitation.

Victoria grew up in Langford and moved across the country to attend Carleton University in Ottawa. Her area of interest was in combination criminology, psychology, sociology and law.  Tori’s first experience after returning to Victoria was working in the Youth Division at the  Military Family Resource Center, where she was running loss and grief workshops and programming for youth 6-19 years old. It was there that she met Janelle Breese Biagioni who later introduced her to the work of The Cridge Centre.

 

Tori’s favourite part of working with clients is that they get to celebrate small steps. “The rehabilitation takes time, sometimes years and years to restore lost functions,” shared Tori, “that is why it is so important to celebrate small victories. It is not about the finish line, it is about the journey.” Tori also loves the creativity of problem-solving. “There is always a solution, sometimes it just takes some time to find the right approach that works for a particular client. And The Cridge Centre’s mandate makes it easier to concentrate on the client’s needs and make decisions according to the best of the client’s interest.”

“What makes it hard is to realize the problem is systemic,” continued Tori. “We went a long way but there is so much more that needs to be done in advocacy for brain injury survivors, policy development, and service delivery. It is inspiring and humbling to advocate and work alongside brain injury survivors, accompany and help them on their journey of recovery.”

When we asked Victoria, what would be the main message she would like to share with us and our audience, she smiled “we all need to be kinder in our lives to ourselves and those that surround us.” It is easy to dismiss a person on the street and make a judgement about their problems. “So many brain injury survivors face difficulties communicating with people in their everyday life: in the bank, grocery store, on a street.” It is problematic for many of the brain injury survivors to clearly express themselves, stay calm or reach out to ask for help. It is so important for us to be compassionate when communicating with the people surrounding us. “Take a moment to listen, be patient. It can mean so much. Take a moment to reach out – it might change someone’s life. And if you don’t know the answer – ask. Help us to spread awareness and help build a stronger community!”

To learn more about The Cridge Brain Injury Services, visit the program’s page.

Remember that comforting feeling of a hand stroking your hair and a voice telling you that everything is going to be alright? So many of us had a special woman in our life that was a role model, our best supporter, and our passionate advocate. Some of us called her mom, nanna, baba, geema, or maybe auntie. She demonstrated strength of spirit even when it was easier to falter and give up.

Now, with Mother’s Day almost upon us, it is time to think of a special gift that tells her how much she means to us. You can never go wrong with flowers or chocolate, but there is another wonderful option available! 

Just as your mom cared for you, you can pay that forward by supporting a family in need. So many of our young families are food insecure, often struggling to feed their children. The gift of a grocery card gives so much more than food — it also provides hope and peace of mind during a stressful time. You can give that gift today. Your mom will be proud of you!

To give a gift in honour of your mom, visit this page.

I am always amused in our interview process when I ask what a potential employee appreciates most about Seniors and they answer “I love how they are all so sweet!”

Now that’s just not true! Our seniors come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments, just like we do. Some are lovely and sweet, some are curmudgeonly, some are funny as all get out, some are wise and generous with their stories and life experiences, and some keep themselves close to the vest. That’s what makes a community – all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds, coming together to form a brand new community.

As both residents and staff come and go, the community shifts and different talents, interests and personalities come to the forefront, but the thread of “home” stays the same.

Our goal is to make every resident feel accepted, warmly welcomed and valued, just for being who they are.

Some of them come from situations that were not safe, or where they were isolated. Some come from wonderful places because they just need a bit more care. Some come because “I don’t want to ever cook again”.  But whatever the reason, they are welcomed and hopefully, if we do our job right, this becomes home.

By Sarah Smith, Manager of The Cridge Seniors’ Services

For the staff of The Cridge Dovetail Program, offering women a second chance to build a life of security and fulfilment is the cornerstone of the work we do. For many of the women we work with, their time in our supportive housing is the first experience of safety in their entire lives. As a staff, we strive to ensure that we do all we can to make this second chance a success.

We recognize, however, that the pathway these women walk from violence towards safety is rocky, and sometimes completely impassable. The second chance we offer is not always possible for women. For some, it is the economic uncertainty they face: realizing that leaving the abuser means leaving financial security for themselves and their children can lead women back to the relationship. For others, it is the inability to protect their children from the abuser: when courts allow fathers partial custody, many women choose to return to him so that they can protect their kids. And yet for others, it is an addiction, brain injury, or the pull of a new relationship that impacts their journey. When the second chance falls apart, we do all we can to keep the door open. We strive to offer as many second chances as it takes.

Naomi is a mother of 2 sons. Since she left her abusive ex-husband, she has struggled financially. Her abusive ex had access to all of the family finances and the court system was taking forever to act. Coming up with the money to keep her boys clothed, fed and in their after-school activities was a huge challenge. A few months after moving into our housing, Naomi met a man in her ESL class who swept her off her feet. He offered her the love and security that she so desired, and she quickly notified us that she was moving out and into his home. We tried to persuade her to give it more time but the struggles she was experiencing, and the pull of this new “second chance,” was overwhelming.

We decided to keep the door open as wide as we could to Naomi. We stayed in touch and assured her that we would do whatever we could to offer her support if things fell apart. We prayed and prayed for Naomi and her sons. It didn’t take long for Naomi to realize that this new relationship was not the answer. Her new partner’s behaviour was beginning to resemble her ex-husband’s. She was embarrassed and ashamed to admit it, but when she did, we were able to respond to her with understanding and acceptance. By God’s grace, we had a vacant unit and she was able to move back into the program… another second chance!

We know how challenging it is for women like Naomi, and we work and pray for a system that makes it easier for women to embrace their second chance and never look back.

By Candace Stretch, Manager of Supportive Housing & Family Services