Basic needs

Kate’s Rest receives charitable organization status

Picture this. A father with his three sons—ages 9, 10 and 13—are living out of their car. They feel they have nowhere to turn. In a last ditch attempt they make the drive to Kate’s Rest on Big Island for a chance at a better future. It might be hard for some of us to fathom, but for Brian Hart, situations such as this aren’t out of the ordinary. He, along with the residents at Kate’s Rest, took in the father and his three sons last year. Thanks to Hart, the boys are now bussed to school in Belleville each day. But more importantly, they have a permanent home. “The fact of the matter is it would be very unhealthy for both the individual and our community if people remain on the streets,” says Hart. “Homelessness is on the rise, and it is only going to get worse.”

Hart says that rural homelessness is very understudied and underappreciated and it has a huge impact on urban homelessness. “People leave the rural areas and move to the cities, and then it exacerbates the cities,” says Hart, who calls it a human rights issue because they can’t stay in their own communities. “I want you to imagine for a moment being on the street in the cold, with no place to go. No place to get a meal. No shelter. It has huge impacts on your psychological and physical well being. This is what is happening in our county and it is not getting any better,” says Hart. The model at Kate’s Rest is a unique one. It is the only permanent supportive housing in the four local counties. Hart and his team work on trying to get his friends back on their feet. “Once they feel that they are home and are not going to be ousted out for bad behaviour, we can start addressing some of the things that really are impressing on them. It could be legal issues which we try and get resolved. It could be psychological issues. Addictions. Many of them don’t have doctors. So we help where we can.” Hart also explains that some residents will never graduate from Kate’s Rest. “Some of these folks will never be able to do that. We don’t have an agenda. You are home. You are safe and you are fed.”

Ryan Brough (right), a former resident and current board member at Kate’s Rest, shows MP Ryan Williams around the property.

Currently there are 20 residents at Kate’s Rest, the youngest a nine-year-old. And there is currently a waiting list should a spot come available. “We try and get the folks directed to the supports they need. It’s not a fixing up and shoving you out the door. This is their home. They can stay here as long as they need too,” adds Hart.

Last summer, work began to upgrade some of the facilities at Kate’s Rest. Both water and septic was upgraded to all of the cabins. Soon new bathrooms and kitchens will be installed. The hope is to eventually replace each of the buildings with something much more modern and amenable. “What we want to do is create a model. A showpiece. The universities want to replicate what we are doing elsewhere,” explains Hart.

Unfortunately, not everyone is on board. Hart explains Kate’s Rest is experiencing NIMBYism, and the recent upgrades have brought on a flurry of unwarranted visits. “We have been here 16 years somewhat under the radar without a word, then last July we started getting visits.” Folks started showing up from the Fire Department, Electrical Authority, County Building and Bylaw Department. “We got everything straightened up to what the County and the Electrical Safety Authority and the Fire Inspector wanted. We got it all up to snuff and then we passed. And then it started again this year. And it just keeps coming at us,” he says.

Hart explains that after laying low for many years in fear of being shutdown, it is nice to finally be in the limelight. “We can relax a little bit. We aren’t contravening any by-laws and we can continue what we are doing,” he says. But Conrad Guziewicz, a Kate’s Rest board member notes that County OPP constantly arrive on scene due to reports of violent crime, noise, and out of control bonfires. Although no charges or notices have been issued, Hart has been told by the OPP that the amount of calls per week need to decrease substantially. “We believe they need to verify their calls before responding,” says Hart. As well, the County’s Fire Chief and Fire Prevention Officer often visit Kate’s Rest with hopes of finding an infraction. But none have been found. Hart hopes there is a way for Kate’s Rest and the neighbours to co-exist. “We understand the property value argument. That’s why we are working to upgrade and modernize our facilities. The message is we are here to stay. This is an important initiative we are d

The good news is as of last Friday, Kate’s Rest is now an official charitable organization. For the last 16 years, Kate’s Rest has been run without any government funding. This will allow for grant opportunities as well as community fundraising. A very capable Board of Directors, which includes a doctor, lawyer and former police chief to name a few, will help guide it through some of the bureaucratic hurdles. Two of the board members are graduates of Kate’s Rest. Victor Popa was the second person who came to reside at the facility when he was 16. He now lives with his partner and their family 10 minutes away and visits nearly daily to lend a hand. Ryan Brough came to Kate’s Rest when he was 14 and now at 21 is studying non-profit organization management at Ryerson University with a goal of taking on the general management of Kate’s Rest in the near future. Popa was at Kate’s Rest on Friday, lending a hand. “This builds the meaning of life to people. This makes them feel that they belong,” says Popa.

Newly elected MP Ryan Williams visited Kate’s Rest on Friday. He was offered a tour by Popa and Brough, and was impressed with what Hart has accomplished. “If people don’t have a home, they are constantly in a state of flux. This is the bare minimum,” says Williams. “What the government should be focused on is not this. This should be a necessity. We should be doing everything we can to make sure this is a human right. The government needs to be focused on transition.” Williams says his government is focused on housing as a whole. “This is the basics. The building blocks. We all need a roof over our heads, and as much as we want to change it, this is only going to get worse. The writing is on the wall.”

Hart agreed. “We are poorer as a community by having some of us pushed to the margins.”

To learn more about Kate’s Rest, visit katesrestfoundation.ca