{"id":245,"date":"2016-04-16T15:20:46","date_gmt":"2016-04-16T19:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/?p=245"},"modified":"2018-07-13T12:17:31","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T16:17:31","slug":"parc-thirty-years-rebuilding-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/?p=245","title":{"rendered":"PARC: Thirty Years Of Rebuilding Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

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News Staff<\/h4>\n

Apr 1, 2010<\/p>\n

\u201cWe accept people where they are at when they come in the door\u2026if you\u2019re homeless, working the streets, have addiction issues, mental health issues, family or no family, if you\u2019re in crisis, if you\u2019ve just experienced a trauma, wherever you are at, you are welcome here.\u201d \u2014Charmaine Frado, PARC.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Parkdale Activity \u2013 Recreation Centre (PARC) is buzzing with activity in preparation for their 30th anniversary party (which took place on St. Patrick\u2019s Day), and Charmaine Frado, PARC\u2019s Resource Development Director, is showing me around.<\/p>\n

Members of the Silver Brush program, set up to help marginalized people find employment, are putting a new coat of paint on the roomy drop-in centre.\u00a0 Other members are hauling out trash, prepping the kitchen, and creating photo collages depicting the centre\u2019s three-decade-long history.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a sense of camaraderie and productivity in the air, and that\u2019s the way Frado, who has been employed at PARC for 9 years, likes it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not constantly thinking from a medical or a charity model, where we are just giving, giving, giving.\u00a0 We give, but there\u2019s some expectation,\u201d she insists. \u201cA big organization like this generates work, if they are at that point where they want to work.\u00a0 Usually there\u2019s stepping stones, they volunteer first, then move into other areas of employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople with mental health issues recover,\u201d she stresses.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s possible and it happens here everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frado knows that\u2019s true because she\u2019s a survivor of mental illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cMental health is the unseen disability,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a mental health history, personally my own lived experience of it, and you would never know that because I sit in an office in a chair doing a job every day of my life, I\u2019m capable of going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am an example of the community members here at PARC and yet I\u2018m one of the directors of the organization\u2026most people wouldn\u2019t know that about me, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m not shy about sharing it, because I think it helps other people to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helping people see beyond limiting stigmas associated with mental illness, homelessness and addiction, is one of PARC\u2019s crucial objectives.<\/p>\n

As my tour continues, Frado leads me outside to a neighbouring construction site.<\/p>\n

\n
It\u2019s the future home of Edmond\u2019s Place, named after Edmond Yu, a York University medical student and diagnosed schizophrenic who was shot to death on a city bus by a Toronto Police Constable following an altercation.<\/div>\n
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PARC, in addition to its drop-in centre and other services, boasts ten units of supportive housing at the current location at 1499 Queen Street West, and Edmond Place, set for completion at the end of the year, will provide 29 more units.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Frado realizes that not everyone is comfortable with the idea of housing for marginalized individuals in their neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

That concern gave birth to the Ambassador Program, which encourages members of PARC to interact with the community on a door-to-door basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started with Edmond Place there was a lot of negativity\u2026and we had a lot of negative feedback from the community\u2026and we worked really, really hard training PARC members who have mental health issues to go out and talk to the community and educate the community, residents and businesses alike.\u00a0 And we overcame the stigma that existed around us building more affordable supportive housing, but it\u2019s still there it\u2019s still pervasive in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terrence Williams is the Coordinator of the Ambassador Program, he also sat on the board of directors at PARC for nearly seven years.\u00a0 That just scratches the surface when it comes to his involvement in the community, a remarkable fact considering he lived as a virtual recluse for years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I came to PARC about 8 years ago, I was very socially isolated for about 15 years, I pretty much stayed in my apartment, I was in and out of hospital, on and off of medication, I was somewhat anxious at times, depressed at times.\u00a0 I hardly had anyone to talk to or do things with.\u00a0 Then I came to PARC and got very connected here and very involved,\u201d he explains.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI ended up on the board of directors in 2003 and I got connected with other agencies\u2026I\u2019m doing quite a bit of social networking now, my life really turned around completely. I got a new lease on life.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

His story is a familiar one.<\/p>\n

Rick Froud and Phil Hozer both struggled with alcohol and mental illness, finding it difficult to communicate with others and maintain relationships.\u00a0 Today, they are both PARC Ambassadors, brimming with confidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of anxiety a lot of fear, I was really depressed, my life was absolutely miserable and I needed to gain a new perspective on life,\u201d Hozer admits.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to move on to something different and I needed to do that and PARC has helped facilitate that and they gave me opportunity after opportunity.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Froud\u2019s story sounds strikingly similar. \u201cI was hard to get along with when I first started.\u00a0 This place helped me socialize and get involved, I helped out with group support down at the drop-in, where I used to take people out for events and outings, that helped me a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have a common goal and that\u2019s to better our lives and move on and not have to rely on social assistance in the future and that\u2019s what my goal is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Rick Froud<\/em><\/p>\n

Diane Lane spent 8 months sitting in a single room, unable and unwilling to move.\u00a0 Her husband vehemently urged her to visit PARC, and she soon became involved in a vibrant new scene.\u00a0 Before long she was working in the kitchen, helping with the filing, and today she\u2019s learning to work on a computer for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Diane Lane<\/em><\/div>\n

The Parkdale Activity \u2013 Recreation Centre was conceived in 1977 by a group of volunteers who recognized that a large number of adults with mental health and addiction problems were living in rooming houses in the Parkdale area, but had nowhere to go during the day.<\/p>\n

After 30 years, growth has been dramatic and many lives have been altered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide meals, there\u2019s showers available, there\u2019s folks to talk to, there\u2019s referrals available if you need them to a crisis centre or housing or detox.\u00a0 There\u2019s creative programs, arts programs, music programs, writing groups, there\u2019s recreational activity, soccer, hockey, there\u2019s event planning,\u201d Frado breathlessly explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the 30 years it\u2019s done some pretty phenomenal work, especially in the last five years.\u00a0 Lots of lives changed, and attitudes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s St. Patrick\u2019s Day, and PARC\u2019s 30th anniversary party is underway.\u00a0 The drop-in centre is packed.\u00a0 Members socialize, eat, play cards and perform live music.<\/p>\n

Jake, a self-described homeless drummer, approaches me somewhat suspiciously at first, but before long he\u2019s spilling his guts, longing it seems, to tell his story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got divorced, my wife turned to drugs,\u201d he explains, his eyes welling up.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m surrounded by drugs, and booze and prostitution and that\u2019s not where I came from, I came from a good family, now I see this shit and I\u2019m part of it, but I\u2019m not gonna be part of it, I\u2019m not gonna get stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI was introduced to this program 3 weeks ago by \u2018Zephie\u2019,\u201d he adds.\u00a0 \u201cThe people are magical.\u00a0 There\u2019s some great people. I wake up looking forward to coming here.\u00a0 I have to get back on track, but it\u2019s a real pleasure to see people like myself, down on their luck, looking for a way out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Zephie\u2019 is Zepheniah James, a 59-year-old drop-in worker born and raised in Jamaica.\u00a0 He\u2019s a towering presence with a gentle, wise demeanour, and he\u2019s a driving force behind the music program at PARC.<\/p>\n

He sees the good and the potential in people like Jake, and believes that with some support, anyone can turn their life around.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you share love then you don\u2019t see the negative problem of the other person, you see in which way you can help.\u00a0 But if you try to put yourself into a different position that \u2018I\u2019m not going to be in that person\u2019s shoes,\u2019 don\u2019t say that, you never can tell when that day comes, so love somebody, if you love somebody then you will do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key word is love, love and respect,\u201d he reiterates.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t just look at the person and say he has mental illness I don\u2019t want to deal with him, no that person needs somebody to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Credit: CityNews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

News Staff Apr 1, 2010 \u201cWe accept people where they are at when they come in the door\u2026if you\u2019re homeless, working the streets, have addiction issues, mental health issues, family or no family, if you\u2019re in crisis, if you\u2019ve just… Continue Reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[28],"tags":[47,59,34,32],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=245"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":886,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245\/revisions\/886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voicesfromthestreet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}