‘It’s not like jail’

If it wasn’t for the John Howard Society, Peter MacDonald said he would probably be back on the streets.

"I was in jail for things I did and this place opened my eyes," he said. "I lost my home. I lost respect … some people say (John Howard) is just like jail; it’s not like jail. It’s a place where you grow and learn."

MacDonald has been living at the John Howard Society since November 2009 and said he’s completed most of the organization’s programs to help people at risk or involved in the criminal justice system. He’s now working towards obtaining his Grade 12 diploma and said he always keeps himself busy volunteering his time to the organization.

"If I have a problem or anything’s bothering me, this is what the program is all about – I talk to any of the staff or the guys," MacDonald said. "I don’t have to run and get myself in trouble."

MacDonald helped play the part of tour guide Tuesday morning as the John Howard Society unveiled their new home on Syndicate Avenue to the community. The society called the YMCA building on Archibald Street home before it came tumbling down to accommodate the courthouse in the south core.

Formerly a nursing home, the new facility has been in the building since the fall and executive director Liisa Leskowski the building is a dream come true.

"I think the dream is bigger than the building," she said. "The dream to really believe that justice can be successful; justice can be restorative, that we can deliver services and partner with the justice system and change lives."

She said they’re now able to deliver that wraparound support that focuses on the individual and looks past the crime.

"When we change individuals, we impact communities and we do change the effect that crime has on communities," Leskowski said.

There are 48 living units in the building and since it used to be a nursing home, the rooms each have a washroom, a large window and space for a person to start their life again, said Leskowski.

"It’s safe; it’s secure," she said. "It’s an opportunity for us to build relationships with them and give them a sense of community to help them move on with their lives."

The John Howard Society’s clients are often homeless and in addition to giving them a roof over their heads and bed to sleep in, Leskowski said they also address the psychological homelessness – the isolation from the larger community – they often feel by providing a sense of community.

Those are the small steps to help them move into independent housing and past barriers and risk factors that made the homeless in the first place.

The society’s housing program is only for men at the moment, but Leskowski said they’ve applied for funding to renovate part of the building to hopefully accommodate female clients in the future.