Stories

"They closed my house up"

“They closed my house up – put a sheriff notice on it.”

Seventy-six-year-old James Willett still does not quite understand how he came to lose his family home on Percy Street. But he knows what happened when the bank took possession of his house for non-payment of a line of credit, back in January of this year.

“I couldn’t stay in my home anymore. I had to get out.”

James had lived in the family home for 71 years. His family had rented it, then bought it (for $3,000!) when it went on the market. James worked nearby at Smith Transport.

James remembers those days fondly. “I could walk to work from my house, but I took transit. I used to come home at lunch and bring my mother a cup of tea and a butter tart when she was getting on in age.”

James is a bachelor, one of six children. But only two of his siblings are alive, and neither of them was well enough to take him in. 

“So they put me in Good Shepherd Centre,” says James.

At Good Shepherd Centre, the front-line Resettlement/Housing workers quickly recognized that James was frail, vulnerable – in no shape to be on the streets during the day, especially in winter.

But finding housing for James was not easy. He needs supportive care – he can’t manage his medication or personal care. He definitely can’t manage his finances.

Long-term care facilities turned him down one after another, concerned by his smoking. James is a heavy smoker who has not been able to quit, even after a bout of lung cancer. He also enjoys a pint on a regular basis – a barrier when trying to place a senior in long-term care.

In April 2010, with his health declining, James was transferred to a transitional room that is managed by Good Shepherd Ministries. In October, he moved to St. Joseph’s Residence.

James likes where he is now. “You have your own room, and meals three times a day. Dinner at 6:00 o’clock. You don’t have to line up to eat. There are no problems here.”

A trustee from Good Shepherd Non-Profit Homes (our sister agency) now manages James’ finances, and is trying to sort out the tangled financial mess around James’ house.

But for now, James lives with dignity and security, thanks to your support.