In 2005, when Christeen first came to Nellie’s, she had her 9-year-old son in tow and was pregnant with her second child. She had only been in Canada for a few short months, having arrived from Jamaica earlier that year after leaving a bad relationship there. Unfortunately, not long after arriving in Canada, she had found herself in another unhealthy relationship, which had led her to seeking help and ending up at Nellie’s.
“I didn’t know how these people would react to me,” explains Christeen. “Would they treat me differently because I didn’t have papers? But I learned that I could talk to these people, and then I started opening up to them, and I realized that they will help me to get started.
While living in the shelter for five months, Christeen remembers receiving an incredible amount of emotional support from the Nellie’s staff, as well as her fellow residents. “Being pregnant, it was just so hard. I couldn’t imagine that I had a child, plus another one on the way — it was just heartwrenching,” says Christeen. “I went [to Nellie’s] and I tried to make the most of it. I met a couple of people who I still keep in touch with today.” Soon after moving into the shelter, our housing staff began working with Christeen to help her secure permanent housing — a key step in helping her move forward. The team at Nellie’s submitted a housing application for her, and guided her through the long process of finding a suitable place for this now-family-of-three.
“The people at Nellie’s were my family,” she explains. “To this day, I look up to the staff there — we’re still like sisters.” After helping her find a safe and stable place for her family to live, Christeen recalls how they supported her through the legal process of receiving permanent resident status, and how a compassionate staff member spent the entire day with her at the hospital when she gave birth to her second child.
Today, Christeen is a proud employee of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), working as a bus driver. She now has three sons: her eldest is 28 and a graduate of Durham College’s electrical engineering program with a career in the industry; her middle child is 18 and is starting civil engineering at Durham College this September; and her youngest is 12.
Although Christeen’s stay at Nellie’s was almost 20 years ago, she says that she still remembers how much our donors’ support meant to her. “I remember how much it helped me while I was there, and I was very grateful,” says Christeen. In the spirit of giving back, Christeen now provides financial support to a family in Scarborough, who live in an apartment building she previously lived in.
Listening to Christeen share her story, it’s clear that her time at Nellie’s left a lasting impact on her. “I talk about Nellie’s all the time. I drive the bus past there, and sometimes I get out on my breaks and come into the shelter,” she explains. “I can never forget that place, and I can never forget what you all did for me.”