This month, we're highlighting our value of EMPOWERMENT. In a nutshell: We trust in people’s ability to shape their own path.  

For Arin, a resident at Naomi Place since it first opened in 2019, that trust has been life changing. Before moving in, Arin was unstably housed, spending nights on friends’ couches or tucked away in outdoor spots where she felt safest. “Getting my own place meant I was finally independent,” she says. “I had somewhere to paint and draw and write that was actually private.”

That privacy became a springboard for growth. Over the past six years, Arin has taken part in many of the programs and services offered through Community Builders. The Counseling Program has provided her with a safe place to talk through challenges, whether in group or one-on-one sessions. She’s especially drawn to art therapy, which counselors offer during site visits. “Emotions can come through in ways words might not,” she says.

Still, Arin has a way with words. She’s one of the most dedicated contributors to Community Pen, the creative writing group hosted at Naomi. Through it, she’s found both her voice and a platform: she’s now a regular writer for Megaphone Magazine and a contributor to the Voices of the Street anthology.

Arin also credits the Wellness Team for fostering a sense of community and belonging through activities like karaoke, bingo, crafting and gardening. With help from a volunteer at a nearby community garden, she’s become a bit of a green thumb, learning how to grow her own food and contribute to her own food security.

She’s also found meaning and connection through the Indigenous Wellness Program. Although Arin isn’t Indigenous herself, she grew up in an Indigenous community in the Prairies and has been keen to learn more about ceremony and culture. She’s deepened her relationship to reconciliation by participating in and volunteering at ceremonies and events.

Recently, Arin connected with our Outreach Program to learn more about transitioning to private market housing. She says the past six years at Naomi have brought her to a place where independent living feels possible. Outreach has helped her secure a rental subsidy and house hunting has begun.

Arin credits Community Builders and the staff at Naomi with helping her rebuild her foundation and regain her confidence. “I’m finally living my life,” she says.

‍