GUELPH – With the grand opening of another home for people with severe physical and developmental disabilities, Hopewell Children’s Homes will immediately be able to serve another three people who need support and will add another two residents in the next year.
That hardly puts a dent in the wait list, said Hopewell’s executive director Maria Zegarac, but adding new locations is the only way to get at the list at all.
Zegarac said the agency purchased a home on Grange Road in Guelph in June of 2021 and spent the past year renovating the home to accommodate up to six individuals who need round-the-clock support.
On Nov. 1 the agency held an open house celebration at the location before tenants move in next week.
In a phone interview on Nov. 3, Zegarac said Hopewell has been limping along since COVID-19 lockdowns forced the agency to change the services it could provide.
It had to cancel day programs and respite care and focus solely on providing care to the people who live in its supported living homes.
With the addition of the Grange Road home, Hopewell has eight locations in and around Guelph, including its first site in Ariss.
Through these sites it supports 34 individuals.
This is one of the bedrooms at the Grange Road site of Hopewell Homes. It will soon be occupied by a person who needs supportive care. Submitted photo
Through its respite and day programs, the agency supports another 150 to 200 individuals.
It also has a wait list of 200 to 400 people, Zegarac said; most of those are waiting for a place in a day program.
“COVID kiboshed a lot of those services as they were considered non-essential,” Zegarac said.
“We are looking forward to getting those programs back to full capacity.
“We know families have been struggling and it’s been very challenging for them without those important support services.”
COVID-19 also posed challenges for staff when homes were in outbreak and people had to isolate in their rooms.
“Staff have been amazing as they tried to normalize the pandemic for the people we support,” she said.
“Staff found creative ways to make their days enjoyable and meaningful.”
Zegarac said Hopewell didn’t have to lay off any staff during the pandemic, but when the government put an end to workers working in more than one site – for example some staff work in a hospital and for Hopewell – those workers had to make a choice, “and some did take a leave of absence,” she said.
So they are looking for more staff, and finding them is a problem across the board.
“We don’t want just anyone,” Zegarac said. “We want the best people coming to us. We owe it to the people we support.
“They don’t have a choice about who comes into their home. It’s up to us to be really careful.
“It’s hard work but it’s very rewarding. You get to know your people and develop a relationship.”
Zegarac said the open house was attended by board members, staff, families and community members and it was very celebratory.
“We wanted people to see the fruits of their labour. We wanted to celebrate the addition to our housing complement,” she said.
Reids Heritage Properties and AJDL Development Group hosted a golf tournament recently and presented a cheque for $49,600 to Hopewell at the event as well.
While the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services funds the lion’s share of the cost of running the organization, it doesn’t cover everything, Zegarac said.
“We have to fundraise to grow, so partnerships are critical for us as an organization,” she added.
