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No child grows up with dreams of being homeless. Alone. Scared.
Without food, shelter or money. Without even the comforting hug of
a friend.
Yet, for the more than 550 youth who seek our help every year, homelessness
seems better than life at home. The majority are escaping physical,
sexual and emotional abuse at home.
Our Place Peel is a registered non-profit agency providing shelter,
support and hope for homeless and disadvantaged youth aged 16 - 21
in the Region of Peel. Through our emergency shelter, resource room and community outreach services, we empower
youth to take control of their lives, break harmful patterns, and
make a healthy, new start.
Our Place Peel helps kids stay in their own community, close to
school, jobs, and any family or peer support they have. As the only
homeless shelter for youth in Peel, we strive to support as many
youth as possible, yet last year we turned away more than 500 kids
due to lack of space.
At Our Place Peel, we’re investing in
the future of our community and country by providing homeless and
disadvantaged youth the confidence and skills to obtain housing,
overcome problems of their past and become financially independent.
our history
In 1985, Our Place Peel opened a 6 bed
residential program in Brampton for youth who were homeless, without
adequate supervision, or living in an unacceptable home environment.
This was in response to the community-identified need for services
aimed at helping youth at risk of homelessness.
In 1989, Our Place Peel opened a 14 bed
emergency shelter in Mississauga to respond to the growing number
of homeless youth in Peel. The goal of the emergency shelter and
residential program was to keep youth in their own community, close
to family, friends, educational supports, and opportunities for
employment.
In 2007, we launched the H.Y.P.E. Project (Helping
Youth Prepare Effectively), aimed at helping youth obtain the essential
skills they need to re-enter the education system, find employment,
complete necessary volunteer hours, and successfully live independently.
Participants in the program have access to all the services of Our
Place Peel, plus connections to other community resources in Peel.
In 2001,
we opened the doors to the community with our Resource Room, located
in the Emergency Shelter in Mississauga. Here, youth aged 16 to
21 can attend free workshops on budgeting, resumé and cover
letter writing, interview preparation, employment standards, finding
accommodation, and landlord and tenant issues. We also provide
youth with access to a computer, Internet, photocopier, fax, and
telephone to assist with job or housing searches and provide information
on a variety of other issues, community resources and agencies.
In 2006, we implemented our Outreach Initiative:
Bridging the Gap between Shelter and Community. With the assistance
of our Youth Support Coordinator, we have been able to educate many more homeless
and at-risk youth in our community about the services and support
we offer. Our Youth Support Coordinator has also been instrumental in raising
awareness about youth homelessness in Peel and promoting relationships
with youth-serving agencies in the community.
In spring 2010, Our Place Peel’s Board of Directors made the difficult decision to close the residential program in Brampton effective June 30, 2010. The Board wishes to thank all the staff and students who have dedicated themselves to providing a comfortable, caring and home like environment for so many youth over the past 25 years. Special thanks to all the donors, supporters and funders who have contributed to its operation. In particular, the support of the Ministry of Community Social Services – Ministry of Children & Youth Services, Central West Region, and its dedicated staff team is greatly appreciated.
Our Place Peel continues to be the only emergency
shelter in Peel for youth aged 16 to 21 years. As Peel is one of
the fastest growing areas in the province, it’s difficult
to determine the number of youth who are in need of our services.
Since opening the doors of our emergency youth shelter, over 4,000
youth have been provided with housing. Unfortunately, we frequently
turn youth away because the beds are full.
how you can help
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our voices
Anonymous Youth  Age 18
My name is XXXXX, a graduated student
of a Brampton high school. I will be attending college starting
this fall. Meanwhile I
stay at Our Place Peel. During my stay here I’ve learned
more than you can imagine. Our Place Peel has given me many
opportunities as a young adult in the community of Brampton.
Since I have been at Our Place Peel I've been able to
have a stable life which I wasn't given when I was younger.
There are so many things that Our Place Peel provides for young
adults who are headed down the wrong path. Yes, at first it
was like that for me, because I thought, “Oh! These people
don’t really care
about me they’re just there to do their job”. But,
I was wrong. I could actually come sit down and talk to the
staff here at Our Place Peel about the problems and situations
that I’m
going through in life and they would hear me out all the way
and give me excellent advice which I wasn’t able to get
from my own parents. Although young adults and teenagers would
love to go out on their own because they think life is so much
better it wouldn’t
be 'cause, no matter what you think, you still need that
extra support and that's why I thank Our Place Peel.
Without my stay here, I don't know where I would be if
it wasn't for
the staff and the residents that are here. So for all those
young people who are planning to move out on their own, come
to Our Place Peel first. To help prepare yourself for the real
world because, to be honest with you, it isn't easy!
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our leadership
Board of Directors
Ellen MoritaPresident
Ellen is a Vice President of TD Waterhouse and has spent the past 15 years in the wealth management industry. She is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and has been a resident of Mississauga for the past 9 years. As a mother of two young children, she is glad organizations like Our Place Peel exist to help youth navigate their way through difficult choices. Ellen joined the board in 2008 and feels very honoured to help guide the agency so that it can be most effective in serving the youth of Peel Region and their families.
Hanif Ladha, MBA, CGA  Past President
Hanif is the Vice President of Financial Planning and Operations Support for G4S Cash Solutions (Canada) Ltd. and is a member of the Financial Executive Institute. Originally from Vancouver, Hanif and his family now reside in Oakville. Being part of an organization that is committed to building a stronger community for the future is important to Hanif, and he was recently honoured with an Ontario Volunteer Service Award for serving on the Board of Our Place Peel for more than five years.
Sophia Reid  Vice President
Sophia joined the board of directors in 2007 out of a desire to help create opportunities for the youth who arrive at Our Place Peel to make positive choices. Sophia has made community action a career choice as well, serving as the Advancement Services Co-ordinator for Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Previous posts have included roles at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the YMCA of Greater Toronto. As a long-time resident of Mississauga, Sophia has combined her love of physical activity and her passion for the community of Mississauga through volunteer work in coaching women’s basketball and facilitating workshops with the Region of Peel.
Pamela Yudcovitch, LLB  Vice President
Pamela was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1987, and has been practicing management side labour and employment law since that time. She currently oversees the labour and employment practice at Pallett Valo LLP, providing a broad range of advice and representation to employers. Her practice includes contract negotiation and collective bargaining, all aspects of labour and employee relations, human rights investigations and tribunal hearings, assisting management with workers' compensation and rate assessment issues, and defending wrongful dismissal claims. Pamela lives in Mississauga with her husband and two children and has been a member of the board of Our Place Peel since 2008.
Andrew Swanson  Treasurer
Andrew is a Chartered Accountant and the National Controller for G4S Cash Solutions (Canada) Ltd. He has served on the board of directors of Our Place Peel since 2007. Andrew believes in giving back to his community of Mississauga and enjoys putting his professional skills to use in an organization that is assisting youth in need.
Janice Lepiten, LLB  Secretary
Janice was called to the bar of Ontario in 2002 after graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has been a staff lawyer at Mississauga Community Legal Services since 2003. Janice believes that young people, especially those that are going through a hard time in life, have special needs that can only be met through services tailored just for them. For this reason she joined the board of directors in 2009 and is committed to ensuring that Our Place Peel continues to assist youth in reaching their goals and improving their lives.
Neil Bobb
Neil is a Financial Consultant with Investors Group Financial Services, Inc. and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. He also volunteers with the Lisgar Residents’ Association and chairs the Promotion Committee. Neil and his family immigrated from Trinidad in 2001 and have lived in Mississauga ever since. Raising a teenage daughter with his wife gives Neil a special appreciation for the need to help youth make healthy choices. He is committed to providing the services required to make the derailed period temporary with the appropriate knowledge, guidance, support and resources gained from Our Place Peel. Neil joined the board of directors in 2009.
Brandon Fang, CA, CPA
Brandon is proud to support Our Place Peel as a member of the Board since 2007, believing that, when armed with the appropriate knowledge and tools, vulnerable members of our community can succeed. Brandon is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant (Delaware), and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto. He is an auditor with the Government of Canada after several years with KPMG as a Senior Consultant in the Audit and Cross Border Tax Practices. Brandon serves as the Treasurer of St. John Ambulance in Hamilton and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
Mert Guler
Mert joined Our Place Peel’s board of directors in 2009. Mert has been an Insurance Broker and Risk Management Advisor for 11 years and graduated from the McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He is dedicated to the needs of at-risk children and youth in our community. He is also involved with Big Brothers and Big Sisters Association of Toronto.
Philip Hyland, P.Eng.
Philip chose to join the board of Our Place Peel in 2009 when he realized the limited services available for youth in the Peel region. He believes that as young people develop it is critical for them and society as a whole that they have a safe place to go. Phil is the manager of Clinical Trial Manufacturing at GSK Canada in Mississauga. He has been a resident of Mississauga for 23 years and is a proud father and grandfather. Phil combines his passion for sport with his dedication to youth by also volunteering with the Peel Childrens’ Aid Society to train youth to run the Mississauga Marathon relay. Never one to be idle, Phil plans to cycle across Canada one day.
Alan Nulle
As a long term resident of Mississauga and a 14 year veteran of the Peel Regional Police Force, Alan truly understands the many challenges and frustrations that affect our youth. He is passionate about Our Place Peel’s mission to provide safe shelter and support, giving youth the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Alan graduated from York University with a B.A. in Mass Communications and Political Science. In addition to raising two young children with his wife, Alan is an active participant in Walk to Cure Juvenile Diabetes and is a member of the Toys for Tots committee. He joined Our Place Peel’s board of directors in 2010.
David Prosser
After a long successful career in sales, marketing and communication with Kodak Canada, David took an early retirement option to pursue a second career making a difference in the nonprofit sector. For the past five years he has been working as Development Director for Yorktown Family Services, an agency that operates a children’s mental health centre and a shelter for abused women in one of Toronto’s most at risk and under serviced communities. David joined the board of directors of Our Place Peel in 2009. He is proud to participate with Our Place Peel’s passionate team of managers, staff, board members and volunteers who are helping young people overcome the challenges that may limit their potential for happiness and success.
Vito Rizzuto
As an Investment Advisor with TD Waterhouse, Inc., Vito has been helping families across the GTA take control of their financial lives since 2000. He has a B.A. in Economics from York University and has attained the FMA and FCSI designations from the Canadian Securities Institute. Vito and his wife are busy raising two young children. He joined the board of directors in 2009, with the goal of helping to make the community he has worked in since 1998 a better place, especially for youth.
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our
leadership
Christy Upshall Executive
Director
Christy Upshall has been a part of the
Our Place Peel team for more than 10 years. As Executive Director,
Christy oversees all aspects of the organization, including the
residential programs and any new programs. She is responsible for
fundraising, fiscal responsibility and providing leadership support
to the management team. Christy also ensures that the agency’s
goals, values and mission are being met and leads the agency into
further expansion.
After completing her BA from the University
of Western Ontario and her Diploma in Child and Youth Work from
Humber College, Christy worked at YSAP (Youth Substance Abuse Program),
where she gained in-depth experience with youth addictions. While
at YSAP, Christy decided to pursue a career working for a non-profit
organization which supported youth. She chose Our Place Peel because
it offers a one of a kind program in the Region of Peel, helping
empower youth and putting the youths’ needs first and foremost.
Christy finds it very rewarding to see youth
build the confidence to meet and exceed the goals they set for
themselves and to look into the future with a positive outlook. “OPP is extremely
important for the community as we are the only emergency shelter
for homeless youth within the Region of Peel,” says Christy. “The
Region has grown over the years and the need to support youth who
are in need of shelter or who are at-risk is more important than
ever. We have to recognize that youth are not just leaders of tomorrow
but also of today and, at the end of the day, our young people will
be the ones who will shape the future.”
She also appreciates the support the organization
receives from the community. “I am always amazed at the commitment
of the many volunteers who work endless hours to support the work
that we do with in the community. Without volunteers, our work
would suffer as we rely on them to support the youth, to guide
the agency and to raise funds to ensure that Our Place Peel can
thrive. Volunteers give up their free time to help make the community
a better place.”
There are a variety of different reasons why
young people end up homeless, yet the need for services and programs
to assist these young people remain the same. With Christy’s
passionate leadership, Our Place Peel will continue to support these
youth so they can have a better future.
Crystal Da SilvaShelter
Manager
Crystal Benoit joined Our Place Peel three years ago as a front
line youth worker. As Shelter Supervisor, she is now responsible
for supervising all front line staff, recruiting new staff, students
and volunteers, preparing reports for the Executive Director, chairing
weekly staff meetings, sitting on committees and dealing with maintenance
issues for the shelter.
Crystal brings the benefit of her nearly
nine years experience working with children, youth and families
and Social Services education to her role at Our Place Peel. She
has previously worked for the Métis
Child, Family and Community Services of Winnipeg, Child and Family
Services of Winnipeg, and as a Child and Youth Worker in Group Homes.
Crystal believes it’s important for youth
to stay connected to the resources and neighbourhoods they’re
familiar with. “When
youth come to us, they’re often afraid because they don’t
know what they’re going to do next. By the time they leave
our program, they know our Youth Workers, Youth Support Coordinator
and Resource Counselor are always here to help, whether they live
at Our Place Peel or are living in the community. Because of that,
these youth often call to let our staff know how they are doing or
if they need guidance, and that’s very rewarding.”
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