New Hope Leslieville Toronto Providing Care with Dignity

Staff at The Salvation Army’s New Hope Leslieville shelter in Toronto provide care 24/7 to those experiencing homelessness and other life struggles.

One of the individuals that reached out to New Hope Leslieville for help is Ahmed Dahir, a native of Somalia. Raised by his grandmother following the death of his mother at childbirth, he moved to Toronto from the United States. When his grandmother passed away, Ahmed experienced depression, lost his job and had to leave the home he shared with his grandmother.

“My first challenge was to find a shelter where people look at you as a human being and not just a case number,” said Ahmed, who is thankful for the counselling sessions and support that has kept him off the street.

Ahmed is now a forklift operator and has his own place to live.

“I’m grateful that I am finally out of the shelter system. I am grateful to The Salvation Army,” he said.

Bilise Lome is a caseworker at New Hope Leslieville.

“The work we do is very important because we’re not only housing people, but we’re also treating people with dignity and integrity. We make them feel seen, heard, and supported,” Bilise said.

She works closely with clients by providing counselling through a housing first, client-centred strength-based approach to service. Once someone finds a permanent home, the support from New Hope does not end there.

“Once someone moves out of the shelter and into their own place, we follow up with them for a year. Through community integration, we connect them to other services to make sure they are stable and independent,” Bilise said.

New Hope Leslieville is ‘More Than a Shelter.’