Journeys of   inspiration and impact

Hi, I’m Kaitlin (assumed name) and I am a mom of three children. Two of my children have special needs. My oldest daughter Lily (assumed name) is medically fragile & my son Finn (assumed name) has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  

 

Our journey started back in December 2019 when we were put on an emergency housing list. I saw the pink form from Nova Vita being sent into housing, hearing that the list was heavily backed up due to the volume of venerable people needing housing in Brantford.

 

Then the Covid lockdowns of March 2020 hit- and they hit us hard. We were on the waiting list for Nova Vita but, due to the pandemic, they could only house 50 people in the shelter at a time. My daughter received several home-care services, which were not accessible in a shelter, so we all bunked in my grandparent’s spare bedroom while I searched for housing and waited for a call.

 

I ended up calling Nova Vita weekly to check in on my housing application, as sharing a small bedroom with two young children was not easy. In late November 2020 I was at my storage unit trying to find my kids winter clothes. We couldn’t fit everything into the bedroom we shared, so I had to keep our seasonal clothing in storage. Suddenly, I got the call from JC Homes. I was informed that a unit would become available early in the new year and asked if I wanted to come in for a viewing. I was so excited I didn’t think of asking any questions and I went ahead to schedule the viewing.

 

I didn’t know much about JC Homes. Now I know that they’re one of Brantford’s best kept secrets. I went for the viewing, pulling up outside of an old school building. I was impressed to see how many apartments they managed to build inside. The unit I viewed was a 3-bedroom upper/lower unit. I was shocked that an apartment could have an upper unit instead of one level. We were so grateful for our new place. We moved in February 2021. We finally had our own place to call home!

In the summer of 2021, I experienced a severe health crisis after delivering my third child. I was diagnosed with the Covid Delta variant. I was admitted to hospital with blue spells, Covid pneumonia, and an enlarged heart. I lost all ability to walk or stand without using a walker and oxygen. We were then stuck back in a family member’s bedroom, but this time with three kids, until I was able to go back to our apartment. The problem was the stairs. I couldn’t lift the baby and toddler up the stairs- or even myself. We were back to square one again and I was desperately looking for a new apartment.

I made a Facebook post asking for help. I was shared throughout the community and ended up being seen by JC Homes’ property manager Laurie. Once she realized it was me, she asked my cousin what she could do for me with no hesitations. She wanted to make a “meal train” for me when I got out of the hospital. She was committed to finding a new apartment for us… and that’s exactly what she did. She quickly got her team to renovate a 3-bedroom one-level apartment on the main floor of the building I already lived at (talk about convenience!).

 

Laurie also spent her time cleaning this unit to help us come home quicker! This is not part of Laurie’s job description, but again, this shows the level of kindness that JC Homes is all about! By mid-November 2021 we had another new place to call home- but it didn’t end there. Laurie reached out to several community members & JC Homes and planned for us to have one of the best Christmases of our lives.

That year I was not able to go out shopping due to my health decline. Laurie chose us for the JC Homes Christmas hamper. Even though I told her I wasn’t in need of anything, I just gave her a small list for the 3 children, she went above and beyond. She even made sure I was thought of. That year we were so extremely blessed by JC Homes. I wanted to be a part of this amazing organization and help in some way. I asked Laurie what I could do. She invited me to come to a board meeting. I hadn’t expected that. This is when I realized what Jaycee’s organization is truly all about. A Brantford-original nonprofit organization that helps a huge number of venerable families in a meaningful way.

 

In the pandemic, my medically fragile daughter’s surgeries, specialist appointments, and many community services were canceled in 2020 and just started picking up in 2021/2022. She has complex medical conditions including congenital heart disease, tracheomalacia, aspiration on fluids, asthma, GERD, spinal fusions, and she requires a CPAP machine at night. We have more specialists than a hospital.

 

In 2022 things really started changing for her. She was now a toddler. I could see that her development was not on track. Her team started keeping a closer eye on her. This is when the surgeries really picked up. From April 2021- July 2024 she had 11 surgeries/procedures (multiple scopes, sedated echoes, 2 sleep studies, sedated MRI, 2 G Tube surgeries ending in one last scope with tonsils & adenoid removal). With all of that, she got 3 life saving devices (that I had to be trained in using), including a G Tube & pump, suction machine, & her CPAP. This hit my family hard, on top of all of that I was still trying to recover from having my third child (and being so unwell) & adjusting to life with three littles ones. My daughter’s health was becoming more complex and our apartment was no longer working for us.

 

It was distressing to the other tenants when she would be taken in ambulances, and she had community home care services coming in and out multiple times a week. Lily is extremely resilient. She makes the best of every day & truly pushes the limits of all her difficulties.  But the apartment just wasn’t working for us. Again, JC Homes blessed us and have recently rehomed us to a one level 3-bedroom JC Home! We truly needed this move. Now my daughter can easily access every room due to no stairs! No matter what life threw our way, JC Homes was there to reassess and make sure we were properly housed. I will always be grateful for the opportunities JC Homes has provided us. I can never repay the security they have given our family.