“There will be many more like me that will walk into Nellie’s … and come out stronger for it.”

In 2017, Krystal Joseph showed up on Nellie’s doorstep, pregnant with her two-year-old daughter in tow. She had just a few hundred dollars to her name and nowhere else to go.

“I was so scared that first night. I had no one else here in Canada but the staff at Nellie’s took us in like we were family,” Krystal told us back in 2019 after she had moved into her own apartment with daughters Joshae and Journeiy, who was born at Nellie’s. “The staff at Nellie’s made me feel special and safe. They gave me hope.”

Krystal and her girls lived at Nellie’s for 14 months. In that time, she began to process the trauma she experienced, learned how to cook on a budget, developed a better understanding of how to manage her finances, passed her high school equivalency exam, started college, volunteered often, and found her first job in Canada.

In the Spring of 2022, we caught up with Krystal to chat about where life has taken her and her girls. It’s been an amazing adventure, to say the least, and she has made it her mission to support those facing difficulties similar to the ones she once faced.

“I have used my experience to show others that homelessness is not the end of the world and that many of us are only one pay cheque away from being homeless. We don’t know what tomorrow brings, but if we hook up to the right support we can have a successful life moving forward,” says Krystal.

First, she worked with vulnerable youth in Toronto. When the pandemic hit, she became a case manager at one of the city’s shelter hotels. Recently, she moved to Hamilton to work with women living at Good Shepherd.

“I want the women I work with to know that I know what it’s like and that I’ve been there. But life doesn’t stop because you move to a shelter. I tell them that nothing has been taken away from you; you still have your integrity and your dignity and you can persevere,” she says, adding that some days however, she is still in awe of the fact that she works as a case manager, considering she herself once had a case manager.

Her living and working situations are not the only things that have changed since Krystal left Nellie’s — her family life has also changed. In 2021, she married her partner, Prosper, and they welcomed son, Micah, to the family. Big sisters Joshae, now 6, is learning to read and write and dreams of being a gymnast, and Journeiy, now 4, fills every room with joy, love and peace.

Krystal has dreams beyond working in the social service sector and is currently exploring her options to pursue a political science degree.

“Any contribution people make to Nellie’s is money well spent, I’m living testimony of that. I’m not the only Krystal in the world, there are many more Krystals like me that will walk into Nellie’s, be in need as I was in need, and will come out stronger for it.”

The move to the new shelter building this past winter gave us much more than additional space. It made us one of just a handful of shelters in Toronto to accept pets.

“Leaving your pet can be devastating and there are women who may delay leaving a partner, or choose not to leave at all, out of fear for their pet,” says Jyoti Singh, executive director.

The link between animal cruelty and intimate partner violence is well documented. Research shows that violence toward people and violence toward animals are part of a larger pattern of violent crimes that co-exist, known as the violence link. Fearing for a pets’ safety, and choosing not to leave an unsafe situation because of it, is not uncommon.

“A pet left behind can even be used as a tool to hurt or control a woman,” says Jyoti.

With Nellie’s shelter building now big enough for every family unit to have their own room, pets can stay close to their human. (At 21,800 sq. ft, the building has 40 beds spread out over 22 bedrooms, compared to 36 beds in 9 bedrooms in the old shelter’s 8,900 sq. ft. building.) All types of pets are welcome — cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, even reptiles.

On the building’s lower level, there is also a pet care room with an enhanced ventilation system, designed with dogs in mind. It has a dedicated shower that allow dogs of all sizes to easily climb in and out. And, the fenced yard means pets (and kids!) have an outdoor space to play.

“A pet is much more than an animal; a pet is a loved member of the family who provides comfort and even therapy. If you are feeling isolated and uncared for, a pet loves you and is dependent on you and is going to be a part of your support system,” says Jyoti.

Even with the space and the pet care room, the shelter is not designed to house pets long-term — another resident may have allergies, multiple pets living in the shelter at the same time may not get along, and more. As such, we have partnered with the Toronto Humane Society to find loving foster families to care for the pets that come to Nellie’s until their owner is ready to move into her own home with her beloved pet. The Toronto Humane Society will also donate pet food to the shelter when we have pets in our care.

“Being in the new shelter gives us the ability to provide even greater support to women and their children. It’s hard enough to tear yourself away from your home and your belongings; bringing a loved one with you who is not human gives that little bit of extra comfort.”