Jeri’s Story of Hope
Your donation gives places like The Center of Hope in Winnipeg the ability to provide a warm place to sleep, showers, laundry, and access to other supports for unsheltered people.
Jeri was diagnosed with a mental illness in his teens and received short-term care at The Centre of Hope which housed a crisis stabilization unit. In his early 20s, after a long-term relationship ended, he found himself in another crisis and without a place to live. Needing food and shelter, he was referred to The Centre of Hope.
Jeri slept in the mat room for several weeks and was soon connected with a mental health worker. Jeri then moved into transitional housing under the Haven program.
“It was a great safety net for me, great people,” says Jeri. “It’s a fitting name. For someone who did not want to keep going at all, I experienced a lot of compassion there, in what they now call Hope Alley. There was always someone there to come alongside me and remind me of the hope that there is.”
Jeri spent about a year in the shelter until he was well enough to make plans with his caseworkers to find permanent housing. He was so inspired by the care he received at the Centre of Hope that he went on to volunteer with homelessness outreach programs, sharing his experiences to help others.
He even wrote a song about it:
Jeri has since graduated from college, is married and raising a toddler, and continues to give back, now as a leader in community development initiatives.
Winnipeg’s Centre of Hope is located at 180 Henry Ave, at the corner of Main Street and Henry. It has 345 emergency shelter spaces, including ten private rooms for women, 13 rooms for families and a section for men dealing with mental health issues. The Centre also operates a mobile outreach unit that provides checks on houseless people living in encampments and other places around the city.
The Centre of Hope gratefully accepts donations of all kinds, especially blankets and gently used winter clothing, at this time of year. If you are moved to donate, you can call 204-946-9402 for more information or click this link to make a monetary donation.
