Ozanam House
Our
History
-
Ozanam
House was founded in 1984 as a pre-treatment program
for men awaiting admission to residential treatment
programs for alcohol and drug addiction.
-
From
the start, we have remained at our current address, at
88 Mulock Avenue
, in the Junction
neighborhood of west-end
Toronto
.
-
Our
name was taken from Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Our
Mandate
-
From the outset, we have
served men awaiting admission to addiction treatment
programs, and we now serve the residents of our program
who have just completed treatment, and are awaiting
admission to a supportive housing program.
-
This
requires that we work closely with Withdrawal Management
Centres throughout southern
Ontario
, from whom we
draw most of our residents, and with addiction treatment
and supportive housing programs that we refer our
residents to.
-
More
recently, we have taken on some new roles at Ozanam,
including the hosting of weekly 12 step meetings open to
the wider community, a monthly meeting of our alumni, a
formal case management process that provides more detailed
attention to client needs, and an effort to involve our
residents in voluntary activities in the community.
-
All
that we do builds on a fundamental belief that our
residents are served best not when we provide for them,
but when we are able to give them the tools to live
successful, independent lives, both in and out of
treatment.
Characteristics
and Needs of Our Residents
While
our residents come from a variety of ethnic and economic
backgrounds, most share several attributes.
-
First,
they are at an early stage in the addiction recovery
process. This means, among other things, that relapse is a
real and persistent possibility.
Second,
they are either homeless or inadequately housed.
-
Many
have been living in shelters, or making do with shared
accommodation, informally or temporarily. Few have the
resources to house themselves adequately, if at all, and
almost never in the type of supportive environment that is
conducive to long-term recovery
Third,
most need help in meeting very basic personal needs, such as
dental and medical care, clothing, including adequate cold
weather clothing, and access to many of the resources that
most of us take for granted.
Finally,
many, if not most, require guidance in the skills needed to
live effectively in the community. Addiction is an isolating
experience. When additional factors such as incarceration,
psychiatric difficulties and chronic health problems are
added, the ability to live effectively in the world often
suffers, and our residents thus often need guidance,
affirmation or admonishment in re-learning these very basic
skills.
The
Ozanam Staff
All
of the Ozanam staff have both professional training and
personal experience in working with the concerns and problems
our residents often face.
- DIRECTORS:
Joe Paonessa, Kim Caragianakos
-
We are staffed on a
twenty-four hour basis with a single staff person on
duty at any time. We have also been
blessed with the help of many volunteers, some of whom
are former residents maintaining their own sobriety and
abstinence, who help to put on 12 Step meetings, help on
maintenance and renovation jobs around the house,
accompany our residents to appointments, offer support,
and assure that those staying with us always have an
understanding person to turn to and have hope for their
future.
CONTACT
INFORMATION:
-
PHONE NUMBER: 416 762 4195
-
FAX NUMBER:
416 762 9754
-
email: ozanam.svdptoronto@bellnet.ca
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