The speaker at the Jan 11 meeting was Joyce Zuk, Executive Director of Family Services Windsor-Essex.
Joyce is a tireless advocate for people with disabilities and social justice issues, and we were thankful to have her back as our speaker. She spoke on the services offered by Family Services Windsor-Essex. There are 251 individuals identified as homeless in the city of Windsor, approximately 40 in Leamington. Family Services offers homeless outreach, specifically with the MOST Van which travels the streets 5 nights per week, helping them with access to services that they may need. Joyce thanked the club for participating in the Socks and Bottoms project, which provides items to the MOST Van to be given to the people they work with. Most are surprised and grateful to have brand new items still in the packages. Another outreach program is H4 - Housing and Homelessness Help Hub, which is located at WaterWorld. Family Services also has targeted housing for young people (aged 16-24) to help them avoid homelessness. They have built the first multi-residential shipping container building in Windsor, with funding from the province (75%), and their own funds as well. Family Services also offers Mental Health Programs, which have been particularly critical during the pandemic. The number of walk-ins have almost doubled over the past year. Joyce stated that during this time many of us are languishing, marked by feelings of stagnation and emptiness. In order to overcome this, she offered these suggestions:
- Find your flow - look for what gives you energy and do that; communicate with people you enjoy being around (virtual or in-person)
- Support your focus - use your energy to focus on doing things that engage you
- Start small, pick one thing, set a goal, celebrate small things.
Finally, Joyce reminded us that helping one person at a time is still making progress.
For any suggestion, please contact our speaker committee Alioune Ngom, Vitra Chodha, and Mardrick Rogers.