Every person has a different story
A pregnant 16-year old is lost and alone. A single man is struggling to find a place to call home. A young woman has custody of her younger brother, barely two years her junior. A mom of two young girls, has recently moved to Calgary from Brazil. Their stories are unique, personal and complex, requiring different supports, some found at CUPS and some elsewhere in the community.
Meet Carmen.
Imagine being 16, pregnant and alone. For Carmen, this is her reality. Instead of playing soccer with friends and trying out new hair styles, she’s struggling to find somewhere safe to live. Carmen came to CUPS requiring ID, but ended up needing so much more. Carmen was couch surfing and had nowhere for her and her baby to call home. Working with the Highbanks Society, CUPS has helped her achieve a basic necessity: a roof over her head. Carmen has not only been accepted into their housing program, but her eagerness to finish school has her enrolled in the Never Too Late GED program, a CUPS partnership with Catholic Family Service. Currently supported by the Pregnancy Care Centre, once Carmen has her baby, she will be cared for at the CUPS Women’s Health Clinic. Carmen is building a foundation of resilience for the future with each and every step she makes.
Meet Jody
When the line between sibling and guardian is blurred, it can put a strain on any relationship. Jody* is just barely an adult herself at 19, but has found herself in the role of parent to her 17-year old brother. Couch hopping and homeless, Jody and her brother came to CUPS for help with some of the daily necessities we take for granted: a home, identification, online banking, furniture and groceries. In partnership with Horizon Housing and Alberta Works, the Jody’s CUPS care team is giving her the foundational skills she needs to succeed. The shy young woman who first arrived at CUPS has grown in confidence and self-esteem and is working hard to transform not only her life, but her brother’s as well.
Meet Delila
There is a monumental cultural shift that takes place when you move countries. When Dalila and her young daughters moved from Brazil to Calgary, she needed to find social supports that would help her little family find a solid footing for their new life. Enrolling her girls at the CUPS Child Development Centre turned out to be the core of that foundation. With one daughter in preschool and one in kindergarten, they were immersed into a program that uses brain science principles to support building resilience for life. Not only are her daughters more engaged in school, they have come more connected as a family, too.
Meet Jon
Knowing what you want and not being able to get your hands on it can be incredibly frustrating. It’s right there in front of you, but you can’t grasp it. That’s every day for Jon. He knows what he needs to succeed: supportive housing. Resilient, but vulnerable, Jon has been engaged with CUPS for a very long time. In addition to seeing a counsellor and physician at CUPS, his care coordinator also checks in once or twice a week to keep him present and engaged so he feels heard and supported. CUPS has worked in partnership with Alpha House to ensure he’s safe at night and continues to advocate for Jon to get into subsidized housing.
Help Vulnerable Calgarians like these.
Those who live in poverty face ongoing adversity every day and in the absence of positive supports, suffer prolonged stress that has a negative effect on their brains and bodies. Collectively, with your support CUPS has been able to help these individuals and families get to the root of their problems, remove sources of stress while adding positive factors to build resilience in all areas of their lives.