UPWORDS
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Welcome to
UPWORDS
Tough Calls
Your new Wood’s
Homes newsletter
continues the tradition
of sharing UPlifting
success stories
that you have made
possible through your
support.
When crisis strikes, day or night, callers are getting
help, thanks to you.
Thanks to you, more
children, teens and
families are getting
help when they need it
the most.
A man on the line is shouting and Ryan
hears the uncontrollable sobs of a child
in the background. Jeff, the caller, is on
his way to the children’s hospital with
his wife and their 11-year-old son, Matt,
who took a steak knife to a box of cereal
during an argument with a friend. Jeff
is shocked and angry. He’s also very
worried – suddenly, every outburst Matt
has ever had seems like a warning sign
of an alarming problem he failed to catch
before.
The phone rings and the caller is
desperate for help. Ryan, a crisis
counsellor with the Community
Resource Team (CRT), answers
without hesitation. He’s ready for
anything.
CRT counsellor, Tobi, is on another
call with a distraught mother. Barb has
discovered explicit text messages on her
15-year-old daughter’s phone that appear
to be from an older man. “This happens in
other people’s families,” she says. Amy is
an honour student with many friends –
but lately she’s been withdrawn and won’t
talk to her mom.
Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Fall 2015
Jade, 20, works at a cafe in northern
Alberta. When she called CRT, it was the
first time she’d ever told anyone that, as a
child, she had been molested by a relative.
She added that every day she endures
racial slurs and when she leaves work at
night, she doesn’t feel safe.
The phone rings 24/7 from callers of all
ages, and all walks of life. No two are alike
but at their core there’s often a deeper
issue: an angry child is being bullied at
school, a suicidal teen can’t cope with
her parents’ constant fights, a depressed
husband is overwhelmed by mounting
debt. Some find a solution through the
course of their conversation; but many
others are just beginning a long journey.
Like Lindsay. Twelve years ago, she was
just a teen and addicted to drugs when she
See “Tough Calls”, Page 2
Chat and text
messages from
teens about self
harm and suicide
are on the rise.
Message
From Foundation Board Chair, Robert Hayes
I was approached several years ago
about joining the Wood’s Homes
Foundation Board. Admittedly, I
didn’t know much about their work
but after meeting some of the team
who were so positive about the
organization, I quickly said yes. Now,
after five years as a board member, I
am happy to be its Chair.
During this time, Wood’s Homes
has helped me and my family, not
in the obvious way of assisting
through a family struggle, but by
showing us the important and often
unappreciated work they do to help
those in our communities who need
help coping with family challenges.
In fact, my entire family has been
moved to help out by volunteering in
various ways.
I have been pleased to work with
the dedicated leadership, board
members, and staff of Wood’s
Homes to help support and grow
the organization. I was part of the
recent fundraising campaign that
many of you generously supported.
Donors like you also helped establish
the Wood’s Homes Research Chair
in Children’s Mental Health in
collaboration with the U of C’s Faculty
of Social Work. Its findings will help
improve the lives of children with
mental health issues tremendously.
On behalf of the entire Board, thank
you, sincerely, for your kind support.
Tough Calls
Continued from Page 1
gave birth to a son. Unable to cope, she surrendered him
to her mother’s care. After years of living on the streets,
Lindsay has worked hard to rebuild her life and calls CRT
often for advice and encouragement as she learns how to
be a mother to a son who barely knows her. He’s still angry
at her for leaving and often acts out. But Lindsay is fully
committed. “I have 12 years to make up for,” she says, “and
I’m not giving up.”
These are just a few of the calls that CRT counsellors
handle every day. On this day, Ryan helped Jeff step back
and listen calmly to Matt’s explanation of his violent
outburst. Although it was extreme and unacceptable, Jeff
now accepts that Matt never meant to hurt or scare anyone
and both plan to get help to better manage their emotions.
Amy is spending more time with her
friends again now that she and her mom
have learned how to be more open with
each other. She has stopped texting
strangers and knows the risk.
Lindsay continues to call CRT regularly
and says that while they still have
challenges, she and her son grow closer
everyday. Once in a while,
he even surprises her with
a hug, and calls her mom.
2
Jade hasn’t called back but,
maybe, having let go of a
lifetime of secrets, she has
gained the courage to reach out if she needs help. Thanks
to you, Ryan, Tobi and the other CRT counsellors will be
here if she does.
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Crisis on the Line
With CRT Team Leader, Niki Whitefield
The Wood’s Homes Community Resource Team (CRT) answers phone calls, texts and live chat from
across the country, 24 hours/day, every day of the year. We asked CRT Team Leader, Niki Whitefield,
about the work they do and the people they serve.
Q:
A:
Who are the callers to CRT?
We have callers from every
age group and all walks of
life but most come from parents of
children and teens.
Q:
A:
What are some of their typical
concerns?
No call is typical. Many callers
suffer
from
depression,
addiction issues or domestic violence.
Others have school troubles, family
challenges or parenting concerns.
We’ve noticed a growing number of
text and chat messages about suicide
and self harm which typically come
from adolescents and young adults.
While that’s very troubling, we’re
glad they know about us.
Q:
A:
Is there a call that stands out
for you?
There are so many. One time,
one of our counsellors took a
call from a desperate man who said
he didn’t feel safe being alone. He
wanted to end his life. For four hours
he was in constant motion, at times
on foot, at other times in his truck,
describing the methods he would
use to die: a hose from his exhaust,
stepping in front of the LRT, off an
overpass... It was a difficult call but,
we got through it and were able to
connect him with supports to keep
him safe.
Q:
The work sounds very
difficult. How do staff stay
positive?
A:
We know that when someone
calls for help, deep down they
have hope – even if they don’t see it
at the time. They are calling because
on some level they know there is a
solution that they just can’t seem to
find on their own. We build on that.
It might happen over the course of
a single call or take weeks or even
months of additional support but we
are in it for as long as it takes. We see
the results and that’s very rewarding.
Q:
A:
CRT Counsellor, Tobi
What makes CRT unique?
We are staffed by a team
of
experienced
crisis
counsellors who can go beyond
the call, text or chat message and
provide in-home visits or follow-up
appointments in our office to help
families find practical solutions for
their unique challenges. We also
work closely with schools, Child and
Family Services, Alberta Health
Services, the Police Service and
many other community partners and
promote our services all year round
so that those who need help know
where to turn.
Thanks to you,
more than 15,00
0
c alls are answe re
d
e ve ry ye ar!
Watch for our fall ap
peal,
coming soon. Your su
pport
allows us to continue
to
help families in need
.
Every year, thousands of children and parents call CRT with problems
ranging from abuse and bullying to gang activity, drug addiction, teen
prostitution and suicide. Each answered call could save a life.
Will you? Please say “I care” with a donation in your will.
Visit woodshomes.ca/bequests for more information.
3
Shelter from the Storm
Street life gives teens more than they bargained for.
Connor stumbled into the Lethbridge
Youth Shelter at 3 a.m. one cold fall
day, highly agitated and bleeding
from his leg. He was living on the
street and had been stabbed by
another homeless youth. He didn’t
know where else to turn. Connor
had stayed at the Lethbridge Youth
Shelter off and on since he was 15 to
escape from his troubles at home.
His mother suffered from chronic
depression and his father drank
heavily to cope with his feelings of
helplessness.
“The demand
for family
counselling is
soaring and our
resources are
stretched to the
limit.”
Now, barely 18, Connor is too old for
the youth shelter. On the outside, he
acts bold and confident, but in truth,
the thought of staying at the adult
shelter terrifies him. He still feels
like a kid. He misses playing video
games and street hockey with his
little brother, who he worries about
constantly. Still, he can’t face going
home and feels he has no place to go
but the street.
Similar situations unfold routinely at
the youth shelters in Calgary and Fort
McMurray where they have already
been over capacity twice since layoffs
in the oil patch began.
Unemployed parents are leaving
the region and some of their teens
are running away or couch surfing
with friends. “The demand for
shelter space and family counselling
is soaring and our resources are
stretched to the limit,” says Lynn
Rhoddy, Acting Supervisor for the
Stepping Stones Youth Shelter in Fort
McMurray. “Thankfully, we are able
to help many youth and families in the
Wood Buffalo region by providing
shelter, counselling and assistance
with job and housing searches.”
“We have seen an increased demand
for crisis counselling,” adds Shauna
Cohen, Program Supervisor in
Lethbridge. “But between the Youth
Shelter and programs like our
Housing First initiative, we are
helping homeless youth, and those at
risk of homelessness, get a fresh start
on life.”
Thanks to the generosity of people
like you, these, and other youth are
getting off the streets and back to
their families, schools and jobs.
Most homele ss and
soc ially dependent adults
never rec eived help for
me ntal health symptoms
the y had as childre n.
LGBTQ2 Youth | EXIT Reaches Out
An estimated 20-40% of homeless youth struggle with gender identification issues adding stress
to an already difficult situation. They are at increased risk for victimization, substance abuse and
sexual health concerns. This fall, our EXIT Outreach team will launch a safe and supportive weekly
drop-in program for LGBTQ2 youth, their families and friends. Visit our website for updates.
WE NEVER SAY NO. WE NEVER GIVE UP. WE NEVER TURN ANYONE AWAY.
woodshomes.ca
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Names and identifying details have been changed
as necessary to protect the privacy of our clients.