THE L'ABRI PROGRAM
The L’Abri program offers long term community-supported housing for adults with a serious mental illness.
Three-bedroom apartments are rented and attractively furnished. A team of volunteers (5-8 per apartment) is formed and, through a series of referrals and interviews, three residents are chosen.
Each resident pays a share of the rent and utilities. Each is responsible for a share of the housework. Volunteers help, when necessary, in the development of daily management skills – shopping, budgeting, planning and preparing meals, etc.
Most importantly, they help build bridges to the greater community through participation with residents in social and cultural activities. Each team of volunteers meets with that apartment’s coordinator every month or so. Residents of each apartment have a weekly house meeting with their coordinator to ensure that daily life is running smoothly and to plan for future events. As well, individual residents meet with a coordinator as needed.
Residents are expected to have some structure to their days: some work part time at paying jobs or as volunteers; others attend classes and other activities.
Living arrangements differ from apartment to apartment. For example, some prepare and eat meals together while others have a more individual arrangement.
Residents take part in planning group activities open to all apartments such as bowling, seasonal parties, camp weekends and workshops. Through the annual design and sale of greeting cards, they raise funds for their own special outings which they plan as a group. No social activity is compulsory, but residents are encouraged to participate in at least some.
The L'Abri Community :
L’Abri is distinguished by its spirit. That spirit quickly becomes clear to everyone who comes aboard. It is the spirit of community.
A community is built partner by partner, person by person. Ritual and tradition combine with innovation to keep the spirit unique and lively. Certain seasonal activities, such as the party in the Christmas/Hanukkah season and the weekend camp in early September, are looked forward to and enjoyed by residents and volunteers alike.
These annual occasions do not become static but are constantly refreshed by each participant contributing his and her own idea or talent. One year a group might decide to present a skit. Or a few enthusiasts might form a choir to lead singing. The possibilities are endless. The occasion is sacred but the observation never becomes stale.
Such community building is an integral part of the project. It is the product of mutual love, caring and the recognition that “no man is an island.” The formula is so simple; it takes only good will and effort to make it work.
The L’Abri community comprises residents, apartment volunteers, board members, staff and donors.
Residents are men and women living with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or chronic depression. They are able to live with other people and are interested in becoming part of a community. They are willing to accept help, to stay on prescribed medications, have no history of violence and do not abuse alcohol or drugs.
Potential residents can apply to L’Abri en Ville themselves or, more often, are referred by mental health professionals or families.
L’Abri has an established protocol for interviewing and accepting new residents.
The board of directors is drawn from various sectors of the community, providing a knowledgeable and compassionate base for decision-making. The fact that many board members are also apartment volunteers, and that two residents are also board members, helps to ground the board in the life of the project. The board meets monthly to keep abreast of developments through reports from coordinators and standing committees, to consider new ideas, and to oversee and encourage fund-raising.
Volunteers are crucial to the success of L’Abri en Ville. They form apartment teams around each group of residents. Other volunteers offer specific support such as apartment repairs or redecorating, driving to special events, helping with the artwork for the holiday cards.
Support also comes from groups. Faith communities provide many of our volunteers, offer the use of halls for gatherings, collect furnishings for new apartments, and raise money in various ways. Service clubs and businesses donate goods and services such as storage, delivery and printing.
The staff coordinators are professional social workers responsible for creating and delivering the program in support of the residents, including the training and support of volunteers. They meet with applicants for residency and with men and women who would like to volunteer. They network with agencies offering various supports for persons living with mental illness. They maintain contact with the medical teams following individual residents.
Our donors and sponsors are individuals, foundations, provincial government, businesses, faith communities and service organizations. They are our broader community that believes in and actively supports the inclusion of those who have been isolated through their illness. Central to our success is our continuing partnership with various faith communities who share our ethic of welcoming the stranger.