Marvin’s Story

Marvin Heller proves that perseverance and believing in yourself gets results.

He was homeless since late 2019.  At that time, he was picked up by police on a 20-year-old warrant for a minor offence.  Marvin was transferred from Collingwood where he had been working and living on a farm for close to five years, to Newmarket where he sat in custody for several days before appearing before a judge and being released. Although on good terms with his employer, during his time in Newmarket, Marvin had been replaced at work. He received this news at the Newmarket Bus Terminal where he was awaiting a bus back to Collingwood. Marvin was devastated. With no where to go, limited cash, and in a town he didn’t know, he felt completely alone.

A man approached Marvin and asked him if he needed any help. He suggested that Marvin stop by Inn From the Cold to see if they could assist in any way. Marvin describes his first few weeks at Inn From the Cold in early 2020 as “a total shock to my system.” He defines himself as a country man, having worked on farms and doing carpentry for his entire life. Being in Newmarket and surrounded by so many people made settling in difficult. However, with time and according to Marvin, the “lovely and helpful staff”, he was able to start moving forward. He made an application to receive Ontario Works for income support.  He also did an intake with LOFT, including a streamlined access application for housing. Marvin broadened his network and began working closely with a York Region Diversion Worker and re-started medical appointments for knee replacement surgery. His knee injury was the result of a farm accident several years earlier. He joined Inn From the Cold’s Getting Ahead in a Just Getting’ By World Program where he learned that others had experienced similar life events that had left them homeless too. Just talking about his experience and putting it into broader perspective encouraged him to keep moving ahead.

When Inn From the Cold’s seasonal shelter was about to close, Marvin went to Kingsbridge Transitional Shelter where he was tested for Covid-19 and placed in isolation to await his test results and be ready if a housing offer came his way. Towards the end of his stay at Kingsbridge, LOFT offered Marvin housing through their Mental Health and Justice Program. He was ecstatic and moved in to his “incredibly beautiful new home” in mid-June.

Marvin continues to visit Inn From the Cold’s Drop-By program regularly, staying connected and continuing to work on his road map to Getting Ahead. When we asked him recently, “What can we do to help you move forward”, he answered, “How can I help Inn From the Cold?” This gracious and kind man is laser focused on his knee surgery, getting back to work, and giving back to the organizations and community that helped him to get ahead!

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The Common Table

The Common Table is both urban farm and farmer’s market.  It came out of a desire to see healthy produce on the tables of the food insecure residents of Flemingdon Park and the surrounding neighbourhood. The Church of Our Saviour in Don Mills gifted FPM the unused land on their property in 2017 and now, after a few seasons of growing, you will find a farm that produces multiple tonnes of fresh, organic vegetables to be given to the families we serve.

Our produce list includes kale, tomatoes all of kinds, peppers of all kinds, lettuce of all kinds, onions, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, swiss chard, bok choy, carrots, spinach, peas, radish, garlic, and the list goes on.

The harvested produce is taken to the FPM market where families get to shop with their awarded shopping points, given to them according to family size. Market day in the park is a weekly community event with other agencies and organizations joining FPM to build a fun day of gathering, learning and simply being in community. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 harvest was safely distributed to registered families at the Angela James Arena through a partnership with FoodShare and the Flemingdon Health Centre.  Over 750 families were served through this partnership.  We hope to reopen our market in the park in 2021, once again building a community atmosphere and bring people together.

“The Common Table Farm thrived this season thanks to agency partnerships.  More people received fresh and healthy produce this summer than ever before, and it is ongoing.  Snow may be in the air, but the kale is still being grown under row covers.  It is joyfully shared with the community each week.”

The FPM Advocate – December 2020

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Olalekan Amos Owolabi

Amos has been an integral part of the FPM team since early 2018.  He came to us through an Investing in Neighbourhoods opportunity provided by the City of Toronto where the city pays the first year salary and contract.  We are happy to say that Amos is now a permanent employee and plays a key role at The Common Table farm.

Nigerian born, Amos came to Canada via the United States. As a widower and single father, he believes that Canada has better opportunities for his young daughter and himself.  They have been here since 2017.  Amos is in process to be a permanent resident in Canada.

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Wisam’s story

Wisam was warned before she arrived in Canada that although people here are welcoming, the country is VERY cold. Her sister had arrived in Canada a couple years earlier and told Wisam what to expect. When Wisam arrived in August 2019 she was completely surprised by the weather: “I never thought I would feel such heat in Canada.” She had assumed she would never again feel the hotness of the Middle East she was accustomed to experiencing.

Wisam’s understanding of Canada is typical of that of many refugees fleeing war and persecution.  They know Canada is safe compared to where they were, but everything else is a mystery. With the support of FaithWorks, AURA is able to complete our mission of providing support and expertise to refugee sponsors as they guide refugee newcomers like Wisam through the first steps to their new lives in Canada.

Wisam was in for many surprises in Canada: traveling around her new city using a “perfect” transportation system, being able to use the internet to do almost everything, and finding out people can communicate easily with email and text instead of only over a phone.  Throughout her new experiences she had the help of members of her refugee sponsoring group: arranging housing, getting her kids into the school, helping apply for health cards, and finding a dentist and family doctor. Wisam says that the support of people who understand Canadian life decreased the hardship she faced as a newcomer by at least half.

That first year living in Canada is critical for refugee newcomers. As Wisam says: “It’s shaping a whole new life for newcomers who feel fragile and terrified as they leave their lives and their stories behind to pursue new ones.” She is working towards becoming a Canadian citizen and would love to be part of a future sponsoring group to help someone else begin a next chapter of their lives, safely, in Canada.

AURA is a Canadian charitable organization assisting in the sponsorship and resettlement of refugees. It is only though the generous support of FaithWorks that stories like Wisam are possible.

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