Less than a month ago, Danielle was living in the encampment in St. George’s Square with her dog, Lexi. Now, she’s about to move into an apartment for the first time in two years.
Danielle had been living in the encampment for months, and was at another encampment prior to that. She’s been unhoused since 90 Carden was sold and residents were forced to leave, landing there after getting in with the "wrong crowd" and falling on hard times.
“I didn’t think it was gonna be that quick,” she said of finding a place after arriving at Norfolk Manor. She was there for less than three weeks before she secured a place.
“I’m pretty proud of myself,” she said.
Danielle is one of many who has received a housing placement through Stepping Stone this year.
In the past year, the organization has made 198 housing placements, a 33 per cent increase from last year, which includes 36 people from encampments.
Those numbers are expected to grow before the end of the year.
In the past year, 93 per cent of those supported by housing stability workers who provide after care for those housed in the community have avoided re-entering homelessness.
Last year, 131 people were helped with diversion services to avoid the shelter altogether, and since 2019, 569 people have received housing placements through the rapid re-housing program.
While Danielle said she’d never stay at 23 Gordon – “I’d rather be outside without a tent” – she’s grateful for Norfolk Manor and the work being done by staff.
What makes Norfolk Manor different?
Norfolk Manor is different from 23 Gordon St. in a number of ways, primarily because it’s housing-focused rather than an emergency shelter.
“There are a lot of big differences; 23 Gordon is very low-barrier, but very basic,” program supervisor Kyle Crann said. “People have to leave in the morning, the place is closed by 8, they have to wait until 8 p.m. to get a space.”
People from 23 Gordon mostly populate the site, though sometimes people come directly from encampments, like Danielle.
At Norfolk Manor, people don’t have to leave in the morning, though there is a midnight curfew (which can be lifted with approval).
Upon moving in, guests can bring a maximum of two bags with them, but get their own room (sometimes shared) with a door that locks, a bed, a mini fridge, and some have private bathrooms.
Staff complete room checks three times a day. Guests are not given their own key, but staff with key access are to be on site 24/7 to provide access.
They have access to laundry, microwaves and toasters. There is a full kitchen on the first floor they’re hoping will be fully operational soon; there are also common areas for guests to mingle.
Those staying at Norfolk Manor are expected to be actively pursuing housing placements, attending a ‘housing cafe’ four times a week with support workers.
The rules overall are also more stringent at Norfolk Manor, because if people are discharged they can still go to 23 Gordon St.
But perhaps the biggest difference for many guests is the sense of community among guests and staff.
The entire shelter has six staff, with one stationed on each floor per 12 hour shift; there is also a floater who goes between 23 Gordon and Norfolk Manor depending on the need, in addition to a care coordinator, housing support workers and outreach workers.
Shelter support worker Charlene Pratt prides herself in fostering a sense of community, getting to know the guests, always remembering details about them, including their birthdays.
She once went to check in on a client after he moved into housing, and he still had the birthday card she had given him sitting on his bedside table.
“I don’t think people realize how much the small stuff, like just having a conversation with someone, means to them,” she said. “The people here are very important to me and I want them to be treated well.”
Pratt and care coordinator Sarah Clifford said one of their favourite parts of the job is the relationships they build with the guests.
“I can joke around with them. It’s not as clinical or removed as everyone maybe thinks it is. I love the people here, I’m so excited to see them come in every day,” Clifford said.
Her position is another piece that makes the shelter different. As the care coordinator, she creates care and support plans with those staying at 128 Norfolk St., and connects them to financial, medical, mental health and addiction supports.
It’s a unique position, and one executive director Gail Hoekstra said she hopes to create more of, if funding allows.
When people land at Norfolk Manor, they’ll meet with Clifford so she can learn about their situation and what their needs are, from safety and harm reduction to mental health, physical health, identification and financial or legal needs, life skills and more.
“We talk about what supports they currently have and whether they need more in each of those areas,” she said. “Then I give recommendations as far as what supports would be the most appropriate.”
But it’s a collaborative process, and people aren’t required to take her suggestions.
“We take a very harm reduction approach to that kind of stuff,” Clifford said.
Then she documents a support plan, accessible to her and shelter staff.
“A big part of my role is making referrals to external agencies, depending on what people’s needs are.
“It’s supposed to help people get attached to supports that will stick with them once they move into housing,” Clifford said. “For example, referring someone to CMHA even though they leave shelter … we can make sure that they have connections that follow them wherever they go.”
She said people don’t typically know Stepping Stone, or Norfolk Manor, offers these types of services.
“I’ve worked in other shelters, and they never had programs like this. I don’t think it’s commonly thought of as something that the shelter provides.”
In addition to her work developing a care plan for guests, Clifford often takes clients to places like appointments, the grocery store or food bank, and helps to bridge the gaps between familial relationships if that’s something the guest wants to do.
“Some of our folks who need more intensive support, I talk to their parents every day, and they are part of the care plan with me.”
The care coordinator position also exists part-time for families other Stepping Stone shelters.
“We really need more care coordinator supports across all of our sites as well as connecting to individuals living outdoors,” said Hoekstra.
“We are not currently funded in an ongoing way for these types of supports as it is seen as more than just ‘shelter services’ so it is an area we are advocating for further funding.”
“We would hate to have this program be something where it’s just a bed you sleep in until you find an apartment. It’s more than that,” Clifford said.
That’s the case for Sayed Mukhtar, who has been in the shelter since July.
“I don’t feel like I’m in a shelter. I feel like I’m in a very safe space,” he said. “The staff are very, very helpful," especially when it comes to things like medical advocacy.
Mukhtar has stayed at other shelters in Toronto, “but this shelter is one of the best, unique shelters so far.”
He is currently looking for a supportive housing placement, and after seeing many of his friends secure theirs, he feels confident he will soon too.
Another shelter guest, Gerald O’Conner, works full-time at a printing facility, but has been unhoused for the past six months after his landlord decided his family was moving into the unit and he couldn’t find a place to move into in time.
He is moving into a place this month, and while he’s thrilled, he’s going to miss the community.
“Every day I come home from work there’s always people downstairs to talk to. I love it here, and I don’t know how I’m going to deal with that when I move,” he said. “These guys, all they do is help people.”
Recent changes
Norfolk Manor was previously a retirement home, but transitioned into a shelter earlier this year with 68 beds. The shelter replaced the former Holiday Inn off Silvercreek, where guests had been staying before.
At the time, it had a reputation of having been destroyed by guests and regularly seeing incidents like violence and drug poisonings.
“The location we were at didn’t really meet the needs of our clients super effectively,” Clifford said, given the industrial area and distance from services.
“People were frustrated. And if you’re frustrated, there’s naturally going to be more (inappropriate) behaviour,” she said. “I think being here has changed it.”
“I think (moving here has) been really beneficial for some, because it gives them a sense of accountability,” she said. “It’s easy to say, I’m gonna do whatever in the parking lot, there’s no one around me. But when there’s someone who lives right next door, it’s a little harder to.
“Across the board, our clients are pretty great people. I think they just went through a lot at that site.”
New rules
Common concerns when it comes to the shelter space include not being able to bring pets in or stay together as a couple. Stepping Stone is experimenting with allowing both at Norfolk Manor.
Couples are allowed under specific rules as well, including a maximum of two to a room.
“The general rule for couples is you come in as a couple and leave as a couple. You don’t come in as a single, find a girlfriend here, and all of a sudden you’re a couple (living in the same room),” Crann said.
The shelter previously allowed couples but hasn’t in recent years due to serious domestic violence concerns.
But responding to community feedback about barriers, they began allowing couples again last month.
He said Stepping Stone is trying to find the balance between “accommodating needs and also protecting the individuals that are staying here.”
Some of the prior worries around having pets inside included things like allergies and dog bites.
“I don’t think we’ve run into any issues with pets so far, which is great,” Crann said.
He said the organization is trying to “adapt as we go” and learn from mistakes.
There are currently three rooms on the second floor acting as designated pet rooms; Danielle’s dog Lexi was the first to move into the building
Areas to improve
Danielle said she, too, only had great interactions with the staff at Norfolk Manor, but that’s not the case for everyone.
“Sometimes (people) just clash really bad, and sometimes they mix really good,” she said.
She said there has never been a problem with day staff who keep rules consistent, but that’s not always the case at night.
“A lot of people have been kicked out because of different rules for different people,” she said. “It needs to be (consistent) across the board. There just needs to be a set of rules, and everybody needs to follow them.”
At the same time, “it’s a homeless shelter. It’s not the army.”
Part of the problem, she thinks, is language barriers with some of the staff.
“It’s harder for them to understand what you’re trying to say,” she said, suggesting there should be someone to help work through language barriers on the night shifts.
On instances where people are kicked out, she said some of the reasons behind the ban are “blown way out of proportion. And it’s just that language barrier there.”
Something she thinks might help is night staff getting to know residents better – what their history is, what their triggers are, to better understand their actions – something executive director Gail Hoekstra suggested she’s hoping to improve.
“I have friends that have been here and been kicked out. They’re gonna die. That’s where these rules, some of them need to be lifted and lightened because of mental health," Danielle believes.
Breaches to the guidelines, like failing to keep the room clean or comply with laundry obligations, refusing to let staff enter during room checks, breaches of peer confidentiality and smoking in the building, for instance, could lead to a warning and behavioural contract.
Guests can be discharged if the rules continue to be breached after a contract has been issued.
Meanwhile, threats, derogatory slurs or actions, physical or sexual violence, having a non-guest inside a room, two strikes for not following the curfew, leaving for more than 48 horus without contact, arson, or not attending three housing cafes could lead to immediate discharge.
“I know some of these people are like wild hyenas. Some people can be scary,” she said. “You just need the right person to team them up with on every shift, so that nobody else deals with that person. I think that would help a lot of people, save a lot of people getting kicked out.”
Still, she thinks there should be another shelter like Norfolk Manor in Guelph.
“I think if people can take the opportunity to come here to get themselves situated … (they will) help you get housing, get your own place and move on.”
