91影视

Content Note: This article mentions the impacts of residential school and intergenerational trauma.

The house was mostly quiet, just a few mornings before Christmas, as Bonnie Aggamway assembled harm reduction kits in the dining room.听

The occasional resident said good morning, as they stepped down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen to fill their mugs with coffee.听

鈥淭his place is a lot of different things for people, depending on where听they鈥檙e听at in their own journeys.听But mainly, this听home is a soft landing,鈥� said Aggamway.听

鈥淚t 91影视 鈥檚听a supportive space where people are there to help you. We know the struggles听you鈥檝e听been through, whether听it 91影视 鈥檚听coming off the streets or from jail to here,听it 91影视 鈥檚听a听really good听starting point to recover … and听we鈥檙e听here to support them through that听whole process听from being unhoused to eventually permanently housed.鈥�听

Aggamway is the substance use health coordinator with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario (EFSNWO), working at the transitional housing program to provide housing and supports for up to two years for women and gender-diverse people experiencing homelessness in Thunder Bay.

Bonnie Aggamway is the substance use health coordinator with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario.

The low-barrier, harm reduction-based housing program has 36 beds spread across three houses 鈥� each with a different level of supports tailored to the needs of residents. EFSNWO also provides food bags and clothing听assistance听to residents and community members in need.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e听filling a lot of gaps. Without housing, nothing else can really exist. If someone听doesn鈥檛听have a place to sleep, and they听have to听deal with the daily struggles of being unhoused,听it 91影视 鈥檚听really hard听to do anything.听It 91影视 鈥檚听hard to be consistent.听It 91影视 鈥檚听hard to follow through.听It 91影视 鈥檚听hard to just survive,鈥� said Aggamway.听

In 2025, the team helped 34 people to find permanent housing, providing support along that entire journey and following up with residents after they moved into their own place.听

A place of 鈥榬adical love and acceptance鈥�听

Melissa Quinn is one of the women who found permanent housing last year, thanks to the support from Elizabeth Fry staff.听

鈥淚t meant the world to me. I was looking at going back into the shelter system, with over a year in recovery, and I听wouldn鈥檛听have made it,鈥� Quinn said.听

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be the person who I am today, if Elizabeth Fry didn鈥檛 come in and fill that gap for me.鈥�听

Quinn says she grew up in a household where substance use was very normalized and first started using crack cocaine 鈥� the same drug both her parents used 鈥� right as the first COVID-19 restrictions shuttered society.听

鈥淚 became obsessed with using. That happened so quickly. I lost my apartment within about six months … it was just a whirlwind … I was like just going from trap house to trap house. Getting kicked out of one trap house, going to a different one … it was just absolute chaos,鈥� said Quinn.听

In total, it was about two years of experiencing homelessness, moving from couch to couch, in and out of emergency shelters, and听ultimately the听Thunder Bay District Jail. During a six-week jail sentence, Quinn decided to stop using substances.

Melissa Quinn found permanent housing last year, thanks to the support from Elizabeth Fry staff.

She got into a substance use treatment facility and then spent one year in a post-treatment program. Facing homelessness yet again after that program ended, Quinn was offered a spot in EFSNWO 91影视 鈥檚 transitional supportive housing program in December 2024.听

鈥淚 was offered a lot of support in a transitional period of my life. A time where things were very much up in the air for me … having somebody that I could lean on when I was struggling … I had never experienced that in my life, that radical love and acceptance,鈥� she said.听

After living at the transitional supportive housing program for five months, Quinn was offered a private market rental unit from a friend.听

鈥淚 was very scared to be on my own …听it 91影视 鈥檚听such a huge adjustment going from the shelter system and being unhoused and living on people 91影视 鈥檚 couches to having my own bed and my own space.听It 91影视 鈥檚听almost overwhelming,鈥� said Quinn.听

Elizabeth Fry offers a 鈥渟low transition,鈥� which meant Quinn was able to slowly move into her own apartment over the course of a month, spending some nights at the transitional supportive housing and some nights at her own place.听

鈥淧eople were always checking in on me, always making sure I was okay. I remember coming and dropping my keys off here [at the supportive housing program]. That was a monumental moment for me. I was like, 鈥榟ere we go, on to the next chapter.鈥欌��听

Permanent, affordable housing for all Canadians is the only way to truly reduce and end homelessness, said Victoria Boyle, the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness 91影视 鈥檚 (CAEH) lead Improvement Advisor for Thunder Bay.听

鈥淢elissa 91影视 鈥檚 story demonstrates the power of providing the supports and longer-term follow-up that many people need to find and maintain that housing, especially after a long period experiencing homelessness,鈥� Boyle said.听

The next chapter 鈥� giving back听

Today, Quinn works at the transitional supportive housing program as an outreach system navigator. Like many others working at the housing program, Quinn brings her lived experience to help others.听

鈥淭hat is my purpose today in life, to give back what was so freely given to me … most of our clients know that I used to be a client, and听I鈥檇听like to think that it gives them a degree of hope. Because there is a way out of being unhoused … sometimes all it takes is someone saying, 鈥榟ey, I got out of this, and you can too,鈥欌�� said Quinn.听

As substance use health coordinator, Aggamway similarly pulls from her own lived experience to help residents at the transitional supportive housing unit achieve their substance use goals.听

鈥淚 see successes almost every day in the work I do, whether it 91影视 鈥檚 people that are choosing safer ways to use drugs, or someone who has access to the medical care that they need after they were on the street for a long time, or someone who is seeing their kids again,鈥� she said.听

Aggamway has experienced every one of those moments. Her mother went to residential school and Aggamway was raised in a different family, experiencing childhood trauma, using substances as early as 12 years old, getting kicked out of the house, and having her first child at the age of 19.

鈥淚 was already caught up in the system with the law, addiction, just everything. From about 12 to 18 years old, I was struggling. It was really tough, and I didn鈥檛 have a lot of support,” said Bonnie Aggamway.

鈥淚听kind of lived听my life backwards to this point. From having kids at听a young age听and trying to be a mom with no skills, it was听really hard. I went to university for a while and I took social work. I tried everything I could to be a good parent without the skills of being parented in听a good way, that you learn in a stable family … my kids听ultimately were听caught up in the system next.听It 91影视 鈥檚听really a lot of intergenerational听trauma.鈥�听

Aggamway said she spent a huge part of her life struggling, going from substance to substance, toxic relationship after toxic relationship, in and out of the hospital, detox, shelters and jail.听

Then she was connected to the Ontario Native Women 91影视 鈥檚 Association, who helped her make sense of the intergenerational trauma her family had experienced, and supported her to navigate the medical,听shelter听and housing systems.听

鈥淭hey helped me understand those things and really helped start to rebuild me in ways that I didn鈥檛 even know听were听possible,鈥� she said.听

Years later, Aggamway started volunteering with Elizabeth Fry and then started working for the organisation.听

鈥淚 started to believe that all the struggles that I had, it needed to have purpose, and I needed to help other people … I loved it right from the start. Now, three years later,听I鈥檓听sitting here and听I鈥檝e听changed from a system navigator to a coordinator, which is听pretty amazing. That听wouldn鈥檛听have happened if I听wasn鈥檛听given the chance,鈥� she said.听

It 91影视 鈥檚听so important for communities to have people with lived and living experience at the centre of the response to homelessness, says Boyle:听听

鈥淭he heart, skills, and听expertise听of people with lived experience is invaluable. Having that first-hand understanding of the path that others are walking provides a level of insight and comfort for those trying to find and听maintain听their permanent home.鈥�听

Rapid growth of program in recent years听

Elizabeth Fry 91影视 鈥檚 transitional supportive housing program in Thunder Bay started just before COVID-19, initially with a single apartment unit funded with $75,000 of听Reaching Home听funds, administered by the designated community entity Lakehead Social Planning Council (LSPC).听

Since then, the program has been built from the ground up and flourished, says Bonnie Krysowaty, director of projects and community initiatives with LSPC.听

鈥淚t has housed the most people out of all the Reaching Home-funded programmes [in Thunder Bay]. And the bottom line of funding is move-ins, helping more people exit homelessness and preventing it from happening in the first place,鈥� said听Krysowaty.听

Given the听high cost听of rent and lack of available and affordable non-market and private market rentals, EFSNWO 91影视 鈥檚 housing navigator Kayla Baxendale says they听are able to听find permanent housing for two to three residents of the transitional supportive housing program every month.听

But still, the resources that Elizabeth Fry can provide are not听nearly enough.听

鈥淭he need is听very, very high听at this point. During our intakes at the听correctional facility, every single individual we talk to is looking for housing upon their release … we听don鈥檛听have enough beds for the number of individuals that are coming to us,鈥� Baxendale said.

Kayla Baxendale is the housing navigator for Elizabeth Fry Society’s transitional housing program in Thunder Bay.

鈥淭hunder Bay 91影视 鈥檚 rent-geared-to-income housing waitlist is听roughly two听years … private market is even more difficult. Prices are听way too听high for anybody with low income, who is on Ontario Disability Support Program or Ontario Works. They听almost always听need a subsidy to help pay for rent,鈥� Baxendale said.听听

In the kitchen of Elizabeth Fry 91影视 鈥檚 transitional supportive housing program, Baxendale sits with a resident who is looking for her own home.听听

Baxendale helps her fill out an application for the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit 鈥� a monthly rental benefit jointly funded by the provincial and federal government to听assist听people with lower incomes, in more vulnerable conditions, afford to pay rent in the private market.听

But Baxendale warns there is听a very limited听number of housing benefits available for people experiencing homelessness, and there is no guarantee the resident will receive one.听

The staff at EFSNWO are doing everything they can to help people heal and recover from the trauma of their experiences of homelessness and provide the supports people need to find and听maintain听their own permanent homes, Baxendale says.听

But this work has its limits.听

鈥淎n increase in social听assistance听rates would be a start, but we need more builds. We need more units. We need more housing,鈥� said Baxendale.听

This Bright Spot is funded by the Government of Canada.