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mmm-m,mn.mu~a our-r SMOKING! msu www.laa¢rquit.ca I kitchenerkiacom @ 5l9.880.l23'l 5‘8 5“ 2828 3 O I O O O C New resxdents of Waterloo supportive housing pmJect share their stones atAGM ‘ BY Boaviuww: I 3 I ' ' j standing mortgage of almost Chronicle slag ~ $1 million. and an opemlngdeficit : , of about $15,000 last year. olin Plant admits he tookabig '. igfif" . » ”2 , 35%;; . ’ . The board hopes tweaking ‘ ‘ fall a few years ago. some of it . 1‘ "m N“ 1%; “fig a. it it I | almost $800,000 in operating ‘ he own doing as he ended up J. ' ’14,}; 153:3; éifi ,j F1 ‘ii 5;; g Q1 expenses will prevent a deficit this homeless on thestreetsofWaterloo JV:- $312933; 55 gig}. , , year. But board members will ask He was married. had ajob and a if” % 55E @315“ Fifi-i is: _ ‘. the community to “SHOW them roof over his head but he couldn't ‘ a 17.11;. 4%" 13:: 3‘3 "fig" :2, 3 ., y f v . the money” again this year as they win the battle with his inner it}... Q 315,1” ‘ 134317 “f ’ plan three major fundraising demons and was left downtrodden if; L 3 events including a September golf and demoralized. ‘. 5'5" 1‘ ,k _ tournament. “I lost my confidence." said 5 eh: ;; _ .553 . The annual general meeting Plant to a packed room at Knox . Q a fig jig: _ 5 ‘ :‘zfii / also saw a major driving force Presbyterian Church gathered last " ' , *f" ’51?! 3‘ my: "if: behind getting the building built, week for the annual general meet- ' 3...; if 1.5"“ 9' 53:51"? ' - chair'lficia Siemens. stepdown. ing of Supporting Housing of t (a; 55.3; '2’ Shehas made it her life’s work Waterloo. “l lost a lot of things. but » since SHOW was formed seven i didn't realize at the time that was . years ago to see the building to the most important thing that i f, 1‘ ' completion, and said it is time to lost." - , have somebody else looking over The local supportive housing its operation. group. started by local faith com- Longtime board of directors' » munities and adopted by the wider ‘ ' member Bill Gill, in charge of ten- community. has been instmmen- ant support, takes over as board tal in taking 30 homeless people chair. off the streets in the last year and Siemens was honoured by the providing them shelter and sth- board for her efforts, and took time ture in a non-judgmental environ- thank everyone who made the ment. ,. effort possible, particularly all the Supporters of SHOW were 88"“ Supportive H . l- of Waterloo chair Tricia Siemens announced she is st ' down after seei the 30-unit volunteers. , e red 50.5“?” the financials 0f the building construaed and occupied last year. She was honoured for her $23M week's smug!g general meet- TEYE'Y time I'drive P89! th?‘ “9W building "‘3‘ opened 135‘ lune ing for SHOW. and expressed her pride in the work that has been done to get 30 people off the streets of Water- burlding I feel like my heart '5 at 362 Erb St. W, but it was the 510- |oo and giving them a roof over their head; um going ‘0 burst with delight." said ries of two residents that spoke to Siemens the importance of the project. body came up to and told me there give something to people who now the building. “l’ve gained an enormous Plant, fighting back tears, said was a possibility to get some of live there something they haven't ‘It has provided not just amount of knowledge and made a he also lost was his faith in other that back,“ said Plant about the had for years â€" hope. warmth." said Thomas "It has spo- lot of friends, but the best thing of people. When he was spiraling promise of finding more perma- "This just hasn't restored my ken for many people who had no all is knowing that there are 30 down he found few that could help nent shelter again. “The person position in life. it's restored my voice." people now who have a warm. safe him prevent his fall. and even offered meachance there." confidence and my faith,” said Thomas said he didn't know he place to live.” fewer to help him get back up on He came to the meeting to Plant. ‘1 think that is the more himself would become a Speaker Siemens, who remains on the his feet. thank the people behind SHOW important thing that the support for people living on the street. but board, summed up her involve- ‘The biggest thing I lost was my for delivering on that promise. We received has done. SHOW has given him the inspira- men! with SHOW and the impor- confidence in other people." said “A bunch of people got together “it renewed my confidence in tion to do just that. “i never tant work it is doing in the oom« . Plant. and made it happen." said Plant. my fellow citizens, and that was expected to find myself here.” he munity with a quote from Helen I At the time. he was sleeping at “it renewed not just my sense of probably the bigest gift of all.” said. Keller. 1 the local Out of the Cold program. my security and my ability. it Plant was joined at the meeting He couldn't say enough of the “Someone once asked Helen which provides emergency shelter renewed my faith in what people by fellow resident Ron Thomas supportive environment that Keller was there anything worse ‘ at seven local churches through can do.” who had dealt with a severe drug SHOW has created and how the than being blind?” she said. “She the winter. and subsisting on the Since then Plant has worked addiction for the last seven years residents have come to rely on said, ‘Yes. people who have sight street through the summer. hard to create a sense of commu- Thanks to the support and shel- each other. but no vision.’ Just when he thought he had nity at the building on Erb and ter he's received at SHOW, he's “We're treating each other as a “I can tell you everyone has a 1 bottomed out and nobody cared offer his support to his fellow citi- renewed his once-promising artis- community." said Thomas vision in this room and it has been 4 anymore. he heard about SHOW lens. They have taken ownership tic career and become an outreach SHOW still has challenges going integral in making our community 1 “A couple of years ago some- of the culture in the building and worker for the other residents at forward. There's still has an out- abetterplace.” f r??\ ”“1- H‘Vl. WINK . W \"t‘|‘\. .9 ill ~ 1‘“. ‘\.V\ V“ bl.“ \-“\H“.i ‘ ‘ . . ,nl "1“.“ H . >“ t ‘ ‘ ‘ r A" ti" 1.3;“, SPIWMFSYUIIG‘ISNSPI '54; 6 REGINA ST IL, IATERLOO l 519 8862090 I “IISPIJOI .