A place of refuge
A safe house and a place of healing. This is how Joe Mancini, the co-founder of The Working Centre, describes the organization’s new Water Street House in Kitchener for people experiencing homelessness, as well as acute drug and medical issues.
“This house is designed to be a refuge,” says Mancini. “This is a landing spot for those who are not only dealing with homelessness, but complex realities, such as suicide, addiction, and trauma. We want to create a place of rest.”
The Water Street House — one of more than a dozen managed by The Working Centre to serve various at-risk communities — was purchased in 2018 thanks in part to a $400,000 impact investment from Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF). The house opened in July 2020, and currently has seven residents, dealing with addictions as well as severe health issues.
“WRCF was very open to our ideas for the use of the house,” says Mancini. “From purchase to opening was just two years, which is a very quick turnaround time on an idea. The Working Centre works fast, but WRCF was also fast in supporting the process and getting it done.”
Mancini says outreach workers noticed an increasing need for this type of home, as affordable housing became more scarce, and highly addictive drugs became even cheaper. They also noticed that many of the people in this community face complex health issues, such as infections, broken bones, amputations, and suicide.
“Homelessness and drug use have just really grown in our community,” says Mancini. “There are at least 100 more people who are waiting in shelters and motels for this kind of support.”
The home offers all of the amenities one would expect, including a large kitchen, on-site laundry, shower facilities, nine individual bedrooms, and a large community room. It also offers an on-site medical clinic, nutritious meals, and support from social workers.
“It’s clear that this kind of model is a good model to support people,” says Mancini. “It’s hard work. It’s constant work. And it needs to be done.”
The Working Centre, a non-profit organization, was established in 1982 by Joe and Stephanie Mancini as a response to unemployment and poverty in downtown Kitchener. They operate the Job Search Resource Centre, St. John’s Kitchen and Outreach, Community Tools, Access to Technology, Affordable Supportive Housing and the Waterloo School for Community Development.
If you want to learn more about how you can support The Working Centre, including the work they do at the Water Street House, visit www.theworkingcentre.org. If you would like to learn more about partnering with WRCF to make impact investments, including establishing your own Donor Advised Fund – Invested for Impact, contact Dan Robert at dan@wrcf.ca or 519-725-1806 x 205.
Note: This story was written prior to Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation and Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation unifying to become Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Although the story was created by KWCF, we have updated the organization name to WRCF throughout the story.