Rob remembers 1499 Queen Street West from when he was a kid, back when it was still a bowling alley in the Parkdale neighbourhood. Years later, during the hardest stretch of his life, he came back seeking community at PARC.
“I got sober in a shelter, which is probably one of the hardest things I had to go through. My only escape was to come here” he says. “[PARC] allowed me to keep my dignity. I always had to have a shower – and that was one of the things that this place offered.” For someone navigating addiction and housing instability, access to basic dignities most of us take for granted matters more than people realize.
While working toward sobriety, PARC became Rob’s anchor. “My only escape was to come here.” Over time, he built relationships and came to trust and rely on the staff (Rob wanted to give a special shout out to Melinda and Patrick who he grew very close with!)
Rob calls the PARC Drop-In team “the engine that makes this place go.” He started volunteering on his own, bussing tables as a way of showing thanks. With support from PARC, he found his footing.
Today, Rob is off the street. And he’s holding onto something from a PARC Winter Solstice raffle: a knife, fork, and spoon in a travel kit, tucked inside his knapsack. “I still have it to this day,” he says. “I want it for when I get my first place with a kitchen. That’ll be my first official knife, fork, and spoon.”
Once he has a kitchen, his next plan is to adopt a cat. And maybe a dog.
Every day, PARC’s Drop-In welcomes people with warm meals, showers, hygiene supplies, and a safe space to connect. Members like Rob may come through the door seeking support. Now many years later Rob welcomes the newer members who walk into PARC seeking community and dignity.
