Former shelter clients working 'In Our Backyard' with employment opportunities

Former residents of The Bridges Shelter in Cambridge who are now living in permanent housing are receiving meaningful employment in a new garden and maintenance program.

In Our Backyard offers clients of The Bridges shelter an opportunity to learn marketable skills and get back into the workforce while earning a part time wage at the same time.

"[It] helps them learn some marketable skills and get back into the workforce. We’ll be selecting clients that are prepared to come into the program and ready to start at this level, and if they’re not at that level, then the shelter will help them,” said Brenda Walsh, a social enterprise co-ordinator with In Our Backyard.

Bryan Andrews, a former client of the shelter, is now employed by In Your Backyard.

“The Cambridge shelter approached me and said, ‘Hey, we’re trying out this new program, we know this is what you do, you’d be a good fit here,’” said Andrews. “When I leave a site, it's clean, it’s really nice looking, it pops, and the customers are happy,” he added.

Andrews stayed at the shelter on Simcoe Street for 15 years before moving into his own apartment in 2021.

The Bridges Shelter and The Community Company partnered together earlier this month to launch the program. The shelter hopes that the program's staff will grow after over 220 clients have been successfully housed since the start of the pandemic.

“We have the next three weeks absolutely packed, so we’ll be booking into the end of May. The shelter clients have just blown me out of the water,” says Zoe Miller of The Community Company.