Maggie’s story

Maggie was sleeping in a tent. She felt that she couldn’t go to a shelter. Her mental health and active addiction had resulted in restrictions at every shelter in the downtown Toronto area. Maggie felt despondent and abandoned. She felt that there was nowhere left where she could get help.

Fred Victor’s outreach team connected with Maggie and found her a space in a shelter in Scarborough. There, Maggie was supported through SMART Recovery and provided with harm reduction supplies which helped stabilize her. Maggie began to engage with healthcare treatment plans, including new medications and regularly scheduled doctor’s visits to adjust her treatment as needed. In addition to this support, Maggie found a supportive and accepting community of her peers at the shelter. Our team continued to work diligently with the shelter service system to ensure that Maggie’s space was secure and stable while updating all her identification information and housing applications. Soon, Maggie had a home to call her own—a home with the privacy of four walls, and a door to lock.

Last year, 820 people lived in stable, permanent Fred Victor housing.

You want to help? Fred Victor knows how to move people from tents into homes.

Your donation today helps more people like Maggie find a place to call home.

Photos and identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of our clients.