Meet Sheila
“About a year ago…I started making arrangements to come this way…I wasn’t getting the proper specialists for them out there,” Sheila said as she shared her journey of homelessness. She and her family moved to Calgary from Saskatchewan in August of 2015 in hopes of finding the proper supports for her three special needs children, one of whom has Asperger’s, one with FAS, and one displaying symptoms of FAE.
The family spent some time on a reserve where they had a hard time finding low income housing, and Sheila found herself in a situation that was not working for her and her family. After months of struggling, Sheila was referred by a friend to Inn from the Cold. “Up to that point I guess I had felt that I had put every effort into finding safe accommodations for us and trying to get the ball rolling to get the kids the help that they needed, it just wasn’t working out for me, so we found ourselves here,” she explained.
Although she had her moments of uncertainty, Sheila brought her family to Inn from the Cold. “The staff really really listened to us; they never made us feel less than,” shared Sheila. She explained that during her time at the Inn, she had help setting and achieving both short-term and long-term goals. After spending approximately five weeks in shelter, the family found housing in the community.
“This place is so much more than a shelter…the best way to describe it is a haven of hope,” Sheila said.
