My name is Denise.

In 2023, I was released from hospital directly into the care of Community Builders. I spent just over a year at one of their homeless shelters. Being a senior as well as an Armed Forces Veteran, it was initially a bewildering experience for me.  

I first met Ana Pacheco the shelter in June 2024. She’s the Community Builder's Housing Outreach Manager. Considering the indifference I encountered from other agencies in my attempt to secure a home, I wasn't expecting much from my initial meeting. Boy was I wrong! Ana was concerned, empathetic and, above all, professional. She told me exactly how she was going to get proper housing for me, as well as a credible time frame for this to happen. Ana was as good as her word. Within ninety days, she had secured transitional supportive housing for me.  

But that wasn’t the end of her involvement. She also worked diligently to find permanent housing for me, and with her help, I recently moved into a 55+ housing community in a quiet neighbourhood, exactly what I was looking for.  

I am forever in the debt of the Housing Outreach program, and Ana in particular, who seems to be some type of housing wizard. Without Ana's hard work and dedication, I would still be languishing in a shelter. Thank you.

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