The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

COMMUNITY SHIFRA OFFERS LIFETIME SUPPORT, SAYS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Continued from page 1 eo ecaping troubled, of- ten tragic pasts, most of Shifra's residents have been abandoned by family. They live on the streets or incars; some couch surf. In one case this year, a young mother-to-be, days away from giving birth, was dis- covered sleeping in a ham- mock in the city's woods. .e women and teens, some as young as 16, are destitute and frightened, ist in those whe coal protect them, depleted. Whether taken in from Halton Hills, other parts of the region or beyond, Shi- fra offers "a safe place to lay their head down, take a breath and rest," said Rom- c. With the purchase of a second location, gutted, renovated and furnishedin little over a month, Shifra can now accommodate a total of 10 residents. Here, food, clothing and medi the wom- en and teens and their ba- bies areassured. Under the guidance, supportandnur- turing “ onind-hearted staff an army of oe ieore pein of these young women will learn parenting and life skills, be pushed to finish their edu- cation and have the chance to change the he trajectory of "Shifra is a real home where I feel ‘welcome," said Leta and Shifra executive director Nancy Romic sit in the family room of the new home. current res resident Judith. "Ii unity where we all ate made to feel com- fortable, loved and part ofa family. It is not at all what 1 expected. You forget about your problems and your for a wonderful future with my child. In 2021, Shifra had 89 re- quests for admission from throughout the region and well beyond; with less than a month left in 2022, that ber has soared to 179, Visit travelalerts.ca © "They show you the love and respect that you deserve when the rest of the world looks at you like you're broken beyond repair.” in part _because similar homes - Keisha, former resident women and moms. Honest- Ly, it i Ontario have closed their dors. said Romic. _are continuously waiting lists. There's just nowhere to go for these young pregnant is so great. The funding is by the fact the bottom line will be doubled. Costs are : Graham Paine/ Metroland currently just under half a million to operate one home, and staff are dipping into reserves to run the second. Shifra relies heavily on donations, to supplement ly grants they receive. Romic is veonata tantly pro- It'snotjust the basic neces. sities of life required, but a myriad of in-house sup- ports such as psychothera- pists, addictions counsel- lors, self-esteem groups and art therapy program- s. Currently, there are also nine women in Shifra's UONEH - dl UL | 2 Seeds of Hope program, which offers support to for- mer residents as they tran- — ing, "it's a lifetime of help- ing, assisting, until you = ow that they're on their } feet and they've healed, 8 and everybody heals and recovers at a different ace." "I have a mission that I foster that this is always home for these girls and babies, so they're continu- fra, I would be homeless and just going to drop-in centres to get food and sup- port," said former resident Keisha. "They actually care. They show you the love and respect that you deserve when the rest of the world looks at you like ou're broken beyond re- pair. “Without Shifra, I can honestly say I wouldn't be clean and sober. I wouldn't have my kids and, as much as I hate to admit it, I prob- ably wouldn't be alive right now." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With a second maternity home opening for young homeless moth- ers, we wante how Shifra is expanding its efforts to help those in need. GIDDENS OPTOMETRY FAMILY EYE CARE SERVICES )WNTO\ DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN 83 Mill Sc | 905 873 1867 Day, Evening and Saturday Hours | Same day appointments for urgent eye care. Please phone. Dr. Ben Giddens We are open but due to the current virus situation we have to limit the number of people This will prevent overcrowding keep everyone safe! Dr. Andrea Kozma METRO PLAZA 371 Mountainview Rd S |905 873 1861 eordyouy