Blake Hunsley 0:00
Hello and welcome to season two of Within Our Reach, a podcast all about accessibility, inclusion, and leveling the playing field at work and in our community. I'm Blake Hunsley, and I am not here with my usual co-host Shelley Alward-McLeod. She is out today, so instead we have literally everyone else that we could rustle up. We have the lion's share of the reachability staff here today to discuss what we've been up to this past year, some of our client success stories, as well as some of the challenges and opportunities we see heading our way in the coming months, and then the year ahead. So, everybody, literally everybody, welcome to the show. Hi, everybody.

Tova Sherman 0:30
This is the Reach Team, and I'm here, even though it's Tova, and I am the CEO of Reachability, but I also would like to wear my Shelly Allward McLeod hat today, wouldn't we? And co-host with oh, aren't you cute? We'll fight over it. Okay. And wear my hat and assist and support any conversation going on today because I know this is going to be fascinating. We don't really sit around the table other than at meetings and just talk about what's been going on and how it's been going. And of course, let's wrap up with a where it's going. Yes, I think that that's really important too.

Blake Hunsley 1:02
And I think we should start too. We'll kind of go around the table here because we have some voices that will be familiar to listeners. We also have some that are brand new on the podcast, which is very exciting. We should note too that this is lucky episode number 13. We decided to do a bonus episode this season. This is the last episode of season two, but we're pretty committed to coming back for season three. So we hope that you'll join us again. I believe in January is when we're going to start airing those. So I'm going to start moving around the table. First of all, you've heard me. My name is Blake. You've heard this voice on our last episode very briefly. Evan, hello.

Evan Dobbie 1:33
Hello. Yes, my name is Evan Dobbie, and I work on special projects here.

Blake Hunsley 1:38
Perfect.

Herve Kazungu 1:39
And my name is Herve, a facilitator for the One Step Closer program, and I also do the first aid program here at Reachability.

Blake Hunsley 1:48
Yes, if anyone collapses, we're expecting Herve to spring into action immediately.

Tova Sherman 1:51
He's been practicing on those dolls, I noticed. Hi, it's Tova, CEO of Reachability, and someone you've probably all heard before. All right,

Amanda Cress 2:01
my name is Amanda Cress. I'm the facilitator of the Ready Set Success program, so I'm also part of the employment team.

Markus Fortune 2:10
Hi, it's Markus Fortune. I do pre-employment support here at reachAbility.

Franco Martinez 2:14
Hello, I'm Franco Martinez. I am boss and Boss 24 facilitator, as well as ERIN.

Emma Atkinson 2:22
Hi everyone, my name is Emma, and I'm the employment specialist for Reachability.

Blake Hunsley 2:27
Sweet, thanks, everybody. We used a ton of acronyms in there, so we'll just quickly touch on a couple of them. Boss, I I've only been here six and a half years, so I can't get it right

Tova Sherman 2:36
Building on self-awareness and self management. Plus, I find people who are struggling with their frustrations to like being bossy. So I thought boss also had a number of different meanings when we originally discussed that term. That was Tova. Yes, one two sibilance.

Franco Martinez 2:54
I always thought it was like become the your own boss. Like-

Tova Sherman 2:57
Yes, that's what we, well, that's what we tell people, Franco. But I thought it was important to be very frank though at the table, and and oh, sorry, everyone's making horrible faces at me.

Blake Hunsley 3:08
I'm going to make a lot of faces at your puns today. That's just okay.

Tova Sherman 3:11
I'm not going to pun out.

Blake Hunsley 3:12
I would actually like to start with Franco because Boss is one of our most popular programs, but it's also all of our programs. Yeah, they're- they're very impactful. But boss, boss is the one where you hear people say, you know, I got back to see my kids, I got back into work because a lot of people in boss have been mandated for various reasons to take the course. So I think some of the stories you have that come out of your course, some of your client successes, can be some of the most heartwarming. Also, some of the stakes are sometimes highest in your course. So, what is one of the stories that's kind of stuck with you from the past year, Franco?

Franco Martinez 3:47
Well, like you said, a lot of them stand out. One particular is a client that unfortunately had an overdose while he was attending the program, not in the office.

Blake Hunsley 4:03
Right, yeah, which we should mention. This is not a not a zone where we allow any drug use. That's that's yeah, not a welcome thing at reachability.

Franco Martinez 4:09
Yeah That is covered in the course.

Blake Hunsley 4:11
Yes, yeah.

Franco Martinez 4:13
But he reached out a couple weeks after saying he was okay, and he felt that what he was learning was helping so much that he came back in and completed the course, and we were happy to support, happy to see where he was at, and like that, we've had multiple success stories regarding folks reuniting with their families, which might not be as impactful to us.

Tova Sherman 4:42
Well, it sure is to me. I mean, family is everything because that's the very cornerstone of starting their life. Do you have an idea? And often it's very hard for us to do this, Franco, which is know what happened. You know, once we've worked with someone, especially in a boss program where they're not going on to employment necessarily, and all the other programming we offer. I wonder, do you know where that person ended up, or where they went, or or or even a next step that you were able to communicate with them? Because I'm always curious. Now that we've got this good information in front of them, is it is is it is it going to then go into practice on some level? So I'm always curious.

Franco Martinez 5:18
I'm very happy to report that he relocated to Halifax. He wasn't local.

Tova Sherman 5:26
Okay.

Franco Martinez 5:26
He relocated to Halifax, and he managed to start building a network, a network that he very much needed, and he was very happy to report how this network was growing, and I appreciate him attributing it to boss, but it was 100% his effort and his willingness to improve.

Tova Sherman 5:51
100% I hear that. I hear that, and that's really important. I think to to start to notice about some of the common threads of the stories you're going to hear today, Blake, is that the folks are doing it themselves. We're there. We're providing the material, but I've seen people I never thought, never thought would walk in this door, walk in this door, and stay here because, despite their discomfort, I'm quite severely ADHD, and I know my discomfort in crowds and classrooms. And seeing folks do it, come back, push themselves through it, and then ultimately utilize that support is really why we're all here today after almost 30 years.

Blake Hunsley 6:27
And not just utilizing it to better themselves. Chelsea's not here, so I'm going to tell her- Brian's story. Sure, unfortunately, Chelsea, our intake coordinator, couldn't be here. You can actually see this story on our on a video on our YouTube site. It's a client named Brian, who he came in and he had been thrown out of essentially a shelter. I hate to say a shelter of last resort, but it really was essentially his last step. He was in a very bad way. Chelsea was able to kind of get some first steps set up for him, bring him into programming here. He showed up. I feel like it was over a year later. None of us recognized him because he looked so much healthier than when he first came here. His his physical state was much better. His mental state was obviously

Tova Sherman 7:06
everyone asked who he was.

Blake Hunsley 7:08
I had no idea. I had no idea. No, and I had met him many many times. I felt quite bad. But but the thing about Brian that sticks with me the most is that he's now working in another shelter. He is essentially almost the Chelsea of that shelter, and that he's welcoming people in as their first step, as their port of call, and giving them the resources to succeed. So not only did we kind of help him get out of a really bad state. I mean, Brian. I don't want to overstate it. Brian says himself that he would not be alive today if he hadn't have had this particular meeting with Chelsea, gotten on a better trajectory. But it's the fact that so many clients we hear these stories where they're doing better afterwards, and then they're like, and therefore, of course, I'm paying it forward. So I honestly think we really-

Tova Sherman 7:44
I love the pay it forward piece, and I think that we would be surprised at how many of the clients we worked with who didn't seem to have much at the table at the time have been able to develop what they're putting to the table or bringing to the table, and continually wanting to help others through it because they really genuinely understood that the team at this table. And let me just say this right now: extraordinary group of people communicating in the most authentic and most supportive way they could without yanking people forward, rather meeting them where they are. And I'm looking around the table as I speak, because this is true of everyone at this table. So I'm really so honored that you know we have people like Franco and and and like all of our team here in front of me that are doing that work and giving room to the client to be where they are. Now the funny thing about Boss for me is it doesn't necessarily move people into our programming as much as some of the other programs like One Step Closer and Confidence Building, where I think that's interesting. Now, is that because Franco, most of them are already kind of either have a job or already kind of involved in where they are, and it's really a matter of this sort of I don't say adjustment, but this work to be done.

Franco Martinez 8:59
I think it's a little column A, little column B.

Tova Sherman 9:02
Yeah, that's fair.

Franco Martinez 9:03
Because most of them also start realizing that they are not heading in the direction that they were expected. So they start looking at their opportunities in a different light. Some folks do continue, and they love being around. So usually, when that happens, Marcus takes over, right, so to speak.

Tova Sherman 9:32
Well, to me, Marcus is the client advocate. On paper, he's he's known as Pez P E S. Now, tell me what that acronym means.

Blake Hunsley 9:39
I've called that position the Pez dispenser for six years.

Tova Sherman 9:41
Well, I know I spell it with his head because I'm so sure we're talking about a Pez, and I'm the one who made it up. Sorry, Marcus. That's why I try to also call you client advocate because I do believe at reachability. If someone has questions or concerns, one of the things we're really good at, and I think someone should tell the story of when people come to our office.

Blake Hunsley 9:59
Oh, we're. So annoying. Can I? We are.

Tova Sherman 10:01
Yes. Can you tell that because it's really all of us.

Blake Hunsley 10:04
If you come to Reachability's office and sit down in our lobby, one of the first things that's going to happen to you is you will be absolutely accosted.

Tova Sherman 10:11
I knew it

Blake Hunsley 10:11
By a half a dozen smiling faces.

Tova Sherman 10:14
Well-meaning.

Blake Hunsley 10:15
Well-meaning, but everybody we're helpful, helpful to a fault around here. Yeah, it's very often that I'll walk through the lobby and say, "Have you been helped? And someone says, "For the love of God, about seven times. Yes, I don't need a cup of coffee. I don't need any more of us. I have a resource. I'm very comfortable. Thank you. Go away. So no, we are. There's worse things than being overly helpful. But yeah, Marcus, this is a good segue for you because you are. I would classify you as overly helpful. Definitely, yes. So why don't you tell everybody listening what exactly the Pez dispenser really does?

Tova Sherman 10:44
As a Pez dispenser.

Markus Fortune 10:46
Yes,

Tova Sherman 10:46
Representative

Markus Fortune 10:47
dispensing as-

Tova Sherman 10:48
Dispensing. I like it.

Markus Fortune 10:50
So basically, I'll meet with clients and meet them where they are. Really, mainly looking at resources they need for employment. I do want to share a time where a client did come in, and they weren't necessarily employment ready, but they did need things to get them there. I do not remember what time of year it is. I do know it was very cold outside. This individual was facing many barriers. One of them, homelessness. The other, addictions as well. They were moving away from things, didn't want to be around it anymore. They came here with no coat on. They didn't have any gloves. Their hands were almost purple from the cold outside. Chelsea and I were able to help them that day with some gloves and just some other needs that they had. Fast forward a few days later, they come to me very panicked and say that they were they had to leave their shelter that they were in, so I needed to find them another one. And I'll be honest, I was very doubtful on being able to help them, and I fortunately was able to find them somewhere to stay. It took only three phone calls, and I say that because housing here is...

Blake Hunsley 12:02
I was gonna say that's impressive for housing. Yeah,

Tova Sherman 12:04
Yeah, and I don't want everyone hearing this going, "Oh my God, this is my housing guy. Because the way it works, just I hate to interrupt you, but just to be clear, the way it works is that clients who are part of our team become really part of our family. We're about many services to the few. We don't put through 2000 people a year. What we do is we work with maybe 300 to 350 people a year, but those folks get a plethora of support, and certainly the ones we've always said if we have no one has, no one goes nowhere at Reachability was one of our lines, and really that's why Pes exists because Marcus, there were so many things people were looking for between one step closer, confidence building, and employment. There were so many pieces, and like you said, to move them even closer to employment. So the ability that you have to do that is really powerful. So please continue your story, and forgive me for interrupting.

Markus Fortune 12:53
Well, that was really the story. Yeah. But at the same time, I'm really happy to be in the position I am for a community advocate for, you know, not only our clients but other community agencies. But what I think is really what I take most away from my job here is whenever I'm out, like not even working. Like it'll be a Saturday afternoon, and I'll see someone. I've seen the client.

Tova Sherman 12:58
You're not working?

Markus Fortune 13:03
No.

Tova Sherman 13:03
Just kidding. Just kidding. No overtime reachability. Go ahead, please.

Markus Fortune 13:22
But I have run into this client before, and they they always read like wave to me first, you know. And I always see that as you know, I help someone out, and now they are they see that, and they're like, this guy helped me out, you know. And he, even though he might not have been able to give me exactly what I need, which is maybe a little more stable housing. But I was able to find them that quick fix, and you know that feels really good. Whenever I run into other clients, it's so nice to see them smile and want to you know say hi to me. You know, I always welcome.

Tova Sherman 13:54
It's a good sign.

Markus Fortune 13:55
Yeah,

Tova Sherman 13:55
it's a good sign.

Markus Fortune 13:56
It shows that I'm doing well in the community that I serve, not only with clients, but again with you know other community.

Tova Sherman 14:02
And I have to tell people who are listening to us today, check out TikTok. We got we got kind of a low chill guy going here. Marcus is our representative.

Blake Hunsley 14:12
Marcus on the move on Friday.

Tova Sherman 14:13
Marcus on the move on Fridays. I love that

Markus Fortune 14:15
new episode. New episode today.

Tova Sherman 14:16
We're working on it. We're working on it. That's great. But you know what's interesting, Marcus, is before Marcus usually gets to see folks, they've at least gone through one program, and that's one step closer. Herve and Alex run that program. Alex is out today with a little flu or doesn't like podcasts. But one of the I'll leave it at that.

Blake Hunsley 14:34
The plumiest British voice is the one that we are missing.

Tova Sherman 14:36
I know we missed our cutie Brit voice, so kind of feeling bad.

Blake Hunsley 14:39
So everyone pull an accent is what I meant.

Tova Sherman 14:41
So, but Herve running the One Step Closer program, which is really where you arrive at reachability and you're welcomed, and folks say, "Okay, now what? One Step Closer. Just to be clear, because people again, we have all these acronyms. It's literally about finding out your value. So many people come in here, and Herve, I'd love you to give us a. Example of some of that, but so many folks come in here, and the number one thing they say is, "I'm worth nothing. I can't do anything. I can't go anywhere.

Blake Hunsley 15:08
What skills do you have? Barely none.

Tova Sherman 15:10
None. And we stop that train right out the gate, and it's it's Herve and Alex who really get a chance to talk to them and explain to them. Not only do they have incredible value, but they have what we call transferable skills and all of that. What, what sort of, what would you like to share with folks about One Step Closer and how it's been going the last year, Herve?

Herve Kazungu 15:30
Oh yeah, absolutely. As Tova just mentioned, typically.

Tova Sherman 15:34
Oh, did I tell all your stuff?

Herve Kazungu 15:36
Typically, the first program that people take when they come in, is the one step closer program. So Alex and I get the honor to be that first point of contact, that first program that people get to experience, and it is crucial in terms of determining what they do next. So one particular story that I'd like to share is a client who had had negative experiences at work in the past, and that kind of took a hit on their self confidence because they were surrounded by people that told them what they can and cannot do for a long time. So at some point, they started believing that themselves. So they kind of put themselves in that box and believed it, and part of the main things that we do here at One Step Closer. One of the main things that we hope people take away is having these discussions, so that you realize what you're really good at and what your strengths are. So over the two weeks, they were quiet at the beginning of the program, and over the two weeks, they opened up a lot more. They, you know, started talking about what they're good at and advocating for their needs. And you could see something in them sort of waking up, so to speak. And I think that is one of the biggest takeaways. Even though that is a unique story, but that is something that I hope a lot of people take away from OSC, and we do see happen a lot. Is I realize what I'm good at, and by spending time talking about it, I also gain the confidence to take the next steps in my life.

Tova Sherman 17:15
It's fantastic, and and more so in the past year, I was really impressed with the fact that you and Alex took it upon yourselves to develop relationships within the shelter community, and providing some information right at the shelters. Because often, as we all know, shelters give great services for like your basic needs. You've got a roof over your head. You know, if you need a doctor or a nurse visit, they do that stuff really well. But what we wanted to be able to do is bring some of those wraparound services, and what I mean by that is the support of saying one step closer is at your disposal. You as well need to know what your value is, and you as well need to, you know, make that part of your experience. And hopefully, we move people beyond homelessness and beyond even shelter living and into you know real lives with real homes and all kinds of great experiences, and I wondered if you could share a little bit about what that experience was like because that was just something we were working in partnership with. I want to acknowledge ACSS,

Blake Hunsley 18:13
yeah, Atlantic Community Shelter Society. They've got a number of, I believe, their tiny home communities.

Tova Sherman 18:17
I'm very impressed overall, and I've been able to go in there with our team and meet them, and they've been very open and welcoming to their residents, getting more, getting more, and getting more. And I have to say, it's been an amazing opportunity for me to understand what's going on a little better in our community with some of the most marginalized folks. And and and I wondered what your take was because you really got this up and running.

Herve Kazungu 18:42
Yeah, absolutely. It was a really great experience. We did a couple of locations, and overall, it was a really, really positive experience. The staff were welcoming, and the residents were really glad to have us there. Especially given what I just mentioned about the type of things we talk about, I think the residents there enjoyed, you know, talking about what they're good at and looking at their future in a positive sense in terms of what I want to do next and what do I want to be thinking about. What am I good at? And it was a really huge success, and we were also able to connect a lot of them with more programming that's available here at ReachAbility.

Tova Sherman 19:23
which is great, giving them a place to go where they don't have to feel stigmatized, or even they've been invited versus just sort of heard about it. And then, of course, they get to meet Marcus, who who's able to help them with some of those roundabout services. And if need be, they get to talk to Franco. And then, of course, we hope at some point that we're also moving people forward into employment. So it's it's been a pretty exciting outreach, and we look forward to continuing and growing that relationship in the coming year. We'll talk about that the coming year more.

Blake Hunsley 19:52
I think one of the nicest things about the shelter project is it really seems like you're bringing kind of a sense of hope and optimism because these are people who are. In acute need right now, and the services they're being provided, which we're incredibly grateful for everything Atlantic Community Shelter Society is doing in terms of the physical health and the physical safety of these folks. But again, these are folks in acute need who have not had a sense of hope about their future for a lot of winsome time. So I think that's a massive change from what they've been getting in terms of the services, where it has been more about survival, and now you're giving them a sense that they may be able to thrive again.

Tova Sherman 20:24
The idea of next steps is in itself kind of a concept when you're in that situation. And I always say, by the grace of God, go I, because as a single mom, when I first returned back to Nova Scotia some 30 years ago, I was in my car thinking, what do I do next? And I think that's probably why I'm so sensitive and kind of I feel the importance of supporting shelters beyond the physical needs. That's been something I've been really connected to and finding my way. And with ACSS, we've been able to try some things out, different lengths of program, different content, and really see what they wanted and what worked for them, and we're also hoping to expand this year. And I know we talk about this year later, but this year into doing some training for the staff too.

Blake Hunsley 21:11
Yeah, exactly.

Tova Sherman 21:11
You know what I mean. So it's kind of like growing that relationship and being part of a community that we think we can really provide some unique benefit to. Because you know me. I always ask the same question: Why reach? And it really is the word you have to ask: Why reachability, Evan?

Evan Dobbie 21:26
And in line with it, yeah, it's something I think that both Herve and Alex really excel at: is that compassion that they both have, and so many of those clients really have been stuck in a position for so long and have such a negative self-image, where one of them, you know, sees the value in them and they see that reflected back. I find that is a very powerful sort of breakthrough moment that really starts to shift the perspective and to allow some daylight in, where they can start to imagine a more positive future.

Tova Sherman 21:58
You know, Evan, while I've got you on the mic, I wanted you to update us a little bit on what we call the pet project. I know you have your paws in a lot of projects, but in this case,

Blake Hunsley 22:06
paws in a lot of projects.

Tova Sherman 22:08
Ah, and I didn't even mean it, Kels. The Fleming Steve's not impressed by me at all. Okay,

Blake Hunsley 22:15
has Neo been to the shelters? Because Neo is wonderful in our One Step Closer classes. I would love to be.

Tova Sherman 22:20
She's been all over the place this year, so maybe you could update us on that.

Blake Hunsley 22:24
And for folks who have no idea,

Tova Sherman 22:25
yeah, what are we talking about?

Blake Hunsley 22:26
Neo is our lovely therapy dog, who Evan

Tova Sherman 22:28
so cute

Blake Hunsley 22:29
beautiful dog handler here. So yeah, Evan runs our pet proje.

Evan Dobbie 22:31
Yeah, yeah, that is you know no offense to anyone else, but definitely my favorite part of my job is working with Neo. It's it's always a joy and a pleasure, and yeah, Neo is our resident therapy dog. She comes into the office. We usually try and have her in at least a couple times a week while we have clients in office for programming, and she's just here as part of that continuing effort that we have to make the office a gentler, kinder, more welcoming space. She really helps ground people and deal with a lot of those turbulent emotions that we can be going through.

Tova Sherman 23:05
Evan, you have to tell the story because it's a quick one and it's a good one. You know, a lot of newcomers, in particular, aren't used to pets around. So, although clients, we could give you 1000 stories of clients totally connecting with that moment of the dog, and they lost their dog, and it's really a lot of emotion, and we've got story after story on that. I love the one about the young lady who's a newcomer who saw Neo in the office, and and Neo happened to be going home at the same time. And I wondered if you could share that quickly.

Evan Dobbie 23:35
Yeah, she was someone who was afraid of dogs, had not had good experience,

Tova Sherman 23:40
made it clear

Evan Dobbie 23:41
in her life, and the moment she saw Neo was clearly very taken aback. We reassured her that that's that's totally fine, and we always check with people to make sure they're okay before we interact with Neo. But it was a real eye-opening experience for her to see a dog in a different light, where a dog is very well behaved, very gentle, and and very non-threatening,

Tova Sherman 24:09
within a matter of moments,

Evan Dobbie 24:10
really shifted her entire perspective on dogs and the possibility of interactions with dogs to the point where, by the time she had finished the elevator ride, she had suddenly realized, like, oh, I finally encountered a dog I'm not afraid of, and I think I'm actually okay with it now.

Tova Sherman 24:26
And then, if you may recall, she called the front desk upstairs from the lobby and said, "From now on, any appointments I have, I'd like Neo to sit in on. Yes, that's that you have to know that little

Blake Hunsley 24:37
common request to be honest.

Tova Sherman 24:38
I know, but we're on the second floor, so the elevator trip was one floor. So Neo works fast. Is all I'm going to say.

Blake Hunsley 24:47
She's effective.

Tova Sherman 24:48
She's effective in terms of time, but also I love that we also take her out to community, to businesses. We want everyone. The pet project is really about inspiring all kinds of spaces in our community. Especially other NGOs like us to bring in the dog because even and I love this Evan. You've told me this even when there's not necessarily clients in the house. Evan always says we got to bring Neo in because it's good for the staff and everyone feels better with Neo around. And that's something I hadn't as you know kind of focused on. And I loved it when you said that because it was like you're right. Why should everyone enjoy Neo but us? It should be and us. So I really appreciate that.

Evan Dobbie 25:26
We all have hard days, and Neo always makes it easier when she's around.

Tova Sherman 25:30
It's so true. So you know the one area we haven't discussed here yet, and it's kind of a big hole in the middle, and that is employment because it's a very important area for reachability in terms of the last stop before we hopefully wave goodbye to you at your new job, I'm now waving for those who can't hear me. So, so we've got here, you know, the team, really the core team, and that's Amanda who's doing the classroom work and Emma who's doing that one-on-one development work. And I wondered what you can tell us about what's been going on this year for employment in the past year, and maybe how you want to move forward, or some things you want to make happen.

Emma Atkinson 26:08
Yeah, I guess I'll start. So I'm

Tova Sherman 26:10
Emma.

Emma Atkinson 26:11
I'm Emma, as Tova said.

Tova Sherman 26:13
In case you forgot, listeners

Emma Atkinson 26:15
I'm the employment specialist at Reachability. So as Tova already mentioned, I do a lot of the one-on-ones, so it's people come to me once they've done any of our programming. Typically, once they've gone through Ready Set Success, they then move on to me if they are ready for employment. If not, they then could potentially go to Marcus just for that pre-employment if they're not still quite ready. So, in terms of what's been going on, there's actually been lots of new and improved things happening.

Tova Sherman 26:50
I know. I'm so impressed by what you and Amanda have put together moving forward, and really taken the employment process up a notch. There's no question, and everyone's noticing it, and of course, it's showing in the results as well.

Blake Hunsley 27:02
Well, we've noticed it because you dragooned most of the staff into be part of it now, which is great.

Tova Sherman 27:06
Yeah, everyone's doing all interviews. It's like who's doing this interview? You know, yeah, and the staff truly engaged.

Emma Atkinson 27:12
And I just think also having everyone involved in the team in our programming, honestly, is what's best for the clients because they all just get to experience different

Tova Sherman 27:26
everything.

Emma Atkinson 27:27
Yeah, like different types of how people engage with one another, how they are taught something, maybe they learn something new from someone that I couldn't give them or Amanda couldn't give them. So I think including the whole team in this process only benefits the clients more. Also benefits us too because I think it also makes us a bit closer as a team and also able to you know understand what's going on and all of the programs that we run because there's so many that sometimes it's hard to you know really get to sit on a class and get to see what someone else on your team is doing. So I really like that everyone's including in this.

Tova Sherman 28:06
Can you maybe share a story with us of something or some of the interesting work you've been doing because I really have noticed quite an uptick in employment between Amanda and Emma's work and people then moving on to jobs much quicker than it used to be. So I really want to acknowledge that and ask you maybe to share a little bit about that.

Emma Atkinson 28:24
Yeah. So one thing that we did for the Ready Set Success program is we actually revamped the whole program. So

Tova Sherman 28:32
It was time. It was time.

Emma Atkinson 28:34
So we've changed it up. We've added some things that we didn't have before. So for example, we now do outings with our clients, where we one of the outings is we actually take them to the library, where as many probably know and many probably don't know actually, but the library is a good hub for

Tova Sherman 28:54
new community centers.

Emma Atkinson 28:55
Yeah,

Tova Sherman 28:55
it really is

Emma Atkinson 28:56
lots and lots of services you can find there, programs that the libraries put on themselves, but then programs that you can find for other organizations, lots like it's a great, great tool for many. So we've actually added that into the program where we take our clients to the local library and we set them up with a library card if they don't already have one, and then we get them on a computer at the libraries because that's another benefit that the libraries has is computers where you can go and access the internet. So we get them on the computer and we get them to print off material. So another thing that we added is actually getting clients to do certificates or get certificates in the program. So when we get them to do is the WHMIS certificate. So once they complete that, they then go to the library. I think a couple days after, and they actually are able to print off that certificate right at the library, so that they have it in a physical copy.

Tova Sherman 29:59
So what I'm hearing is you're adding more tactile, more off-site,

Emma Atkinson 30:03
Yeah,

Tova Sherman 30:03
and part of the the I have to move to Amanda because it's really RSS is your baby, and I wanted to know maybe Amanda for the class maybe why a bit of the change and how you've seen it work.

Amanda Cress 30:18
I mean the main part for the change is to just make sure they have as many tools before they move into actual employment.

Tova Sherman 30:28
Makes sense.

Amanda Cress 30:28
I think the biggest thing that I've noticed, and I am newer to the team, so I don't exactly know what was in it before, but the interviewing portion, as well as the mock interviews that they do at the end has been huge in all of my feedback forms. It's always mentioned no matter what that they were so you know nervous going in, but we go over different methods on how to answer questions and and things like that.

Tova Sherman 30:59
And doing more than just the mock interview you've brought. You've definitely fleshed that out because you saw the need.

Amanda Cress 31:04
Yeah, they feel so much more confident and a lot less. Yeah,

Tova Sherman 31:10
do you have a story you want to share about somebody that may have come through your class that that really benefited?

Amanda Cress 31:15
I can think of one in particular, and she started in one group. She was very, very overwhelmed and decided to step back, and wasn't 100% sure if she was going to choose to come back to the program.

Tova Sherman 31:30
Someone who started in the employment programming said, "You know, this is a bit much for me.

Amanda Cress 31:34
Yeah,

Tova Sherman 31:34
I'm going to step back. Okay.

Amanda Cress 31:36
Yes. Then she they go to one step closer, yeah, which is now a prereq for Ready Set Success,

Tova Sherman 31:44
which, by the way, is another thing you guys did, which I think is very clever,

Amanda Cress 31:47
which has been really, really amazing. And then when she came back into, she came right back to the course into the the next one there, and she completed it and seeing what she was in the first two, what she where she was at afterwards, yeah, it's been

Tova Sherman 32:08
night and day, baby, night and day. I get it,

Amanda Cress 32:11
amazing.

Tova Sherman 32:11
It's exciting, right? And when you are newer in the role, as you've identified, Amanda, you know you need those early successes. To be honest, I think emotionally as as a facilitator, to show you, yeah, I'm on track. I'm on track. And after you're here a while, you start to notice, you know, this this is pretty great. This I'm part of the change. I'm making a difference in my community. And to be honest with you all, I think that if we're not saying that enough to ourselves, we need to say it more because everybody who's made a choice to work in the nonprofit community has taken a hit. I don't care what kind of hit. Maybe it's your family saying, "What the hell are you doing? Maybe it's somebody else saying it. Am I am I running over? Is that what you're looking at your watch, Blake?

Blake Hunsley 32:51
No, it's telling me to relax because I have ADHD and I'm sitting here quietly, so my watch is telling me I need to relax.

Tova Sherman 32:56
Oh, I love that! Another show for that. But I just want to say that it's so important for this team, just how well you do at taking care of each other and yourselves, to be able to do all of that and still take some of the strong negative energy that comes your ways. Because there's no way around it. I mean, Franco could talk all day about that, but the fact is, you have to manage the client and also self-manage and be self-aware for you, and it's what I'm acknowledging with this group is that's what I've seen, and the changes that you guys have been implementing have kept us really at the very edge of what I call not best practice but next practices. What else can we be doing? We're always in that mindset, and so Amanda's brought a lot of great ideas, and she's also been implementing them, and it's kind of exciting to see her and Emma, and with the help of the gang to build what we need to build here. So we we know that the clients are coming through. How's the employment been, if I may, Emma?

Emma Atkinson 33:54
Yeah. So

Tova Sherman 33:55
you know we do quarters just for the listeners. We work in three months because that's government funding. So every three months, we stop. We take account. In this case, it would be April, May, and June. So, just so you folks know, how have we been doing in those three to four months?

Emma Atkinson 34:09
Yeah. So, out of all the clients that have come to the employment side of things since April 1 to now, we have actually been able to find out of all the clients, 70% of them jobs.

Tova Sherman 34:25
So you're telling me that 70% and I'm not going to pussyfoot here. Our clients are not the clients who who you know just jump up and grab a job. These are clients you really need to work with. They've had work with Marcus. They've done some work with the One Step Closer team. Some have come from boss, even or sent back to Boss. So you've got what I call some of the toughest to employ, and you're you've been kind of making it work.

Emma Atkinson 34:54
Yeah, and I can even think of, for example, a client that Marcus sent to me was first working with Marcus for that pre-employment support. So

Tova Sherman 35:03
That's what Pes means: pre-employment support.

Blake Hunsley 35:06
Just joining us.

Tova Sherman 35:07
Sorry, go ahead.

Emma Atkinson 35:10
So Marcus, you know, emailed me, said, you know, I have a client. They're ready for employment. Can you help them? Obviously, yes, I can, or I'll at least try to the best that I can. And I think I worked with them for oh, less than a month, maybe two, three weeks. And by that second or third week, we were able to find them employment. So yeah, it just kind of goes to show that you know, all programs are involved in some way, and once you complete one program, if you need more support, there's always someone here to give you a hand. So that was a really nice success that I think both Marcus and had and I had because also I think that client was a long-term client as well.

Tova Sherman 36:00
We've had clients do not either long term or come back every year, and we want to ask ourselves what's changed for them and how we can change how we're supporting them because clearly it wasn't as successful.

Emma Atkinson 36:10
Yeah, and I think what changed for this client in particular was that they were now ready, and I love that they had the tools that they needed and they were ready to go into employment, and it it worked.

Blake Hunsley 36:21
I want to mention one thing I've noticed in the past couple months that you guys have done that I think is really smart because part of what we do here, we need to we keep our classes small so that it's a safe space for people to share. It's a safe space for people for people to feel comfortable learning at their own pace. One of the really nice knock-on effects of that is you get a great rapport with these clients, and you really can build up a relationship with them. Then you have to do a mock interview with them where they have to simulate all the stress of a real job interview, and so I've seen a number of times where you've said, "Okay, I can't interview this client. We need to, Blake, Tova. You need to come and interview this client. You have met them maybe once. Essentially, we need to simulate the nerves for them at that point because you've made it such a safe space. And I think you've struck a really nice balance between giving your clients that confidence, making them feel that you truly care, and then not exactly you know sending them to throwing them to the wolves, but giving them a really realistic perspective on where they are before they go out into the real interview. So it's not a shock, it's not a slap in the face when they don't have friendly Emma and Amanda right there in front of them, cozyingly taking them through it. So no, I think you really struck a good balance with your approach.

Emma Atkinson 37:22
Thank you.

Tova Sherman 37:26
Sorry, we don't want their heads to get any bigger. She has all three numbers to the

Blake Hunsley 37:30
table for me.

Tova Sherman 37:30
Wait a minute. Did you bring numbers to the table?

Blake Hunsley 37:36
Yes. Oh, Herve, I'm so sorry.

Tova Sherman 37:38
Move the one step closer comes through. Herve, what kind of numbers have you been looking at this year in terms of the results of the One Step Closer confidence building?

Herve Kazungu 37:47
One of the main highlights for our program is that 93% of everybody who took our program said that they noted an improvement in their self-confidence and self-worth, and that is such a a nice thing to hear from them because it is self-reported. It is such a nice thing to hear because you also see how they build these relationships with each other throughout the program. So seeing that being having a huge effect on them is really reinforcing to us as well, and it you know makes me come in happier the next day, and you know, feeling ready to do the next group.

Tova Sherman 38:26
How hard is Monday morning? I'm being not. I mean, I'm being partly serious because you know, I don't like to work very much, but I do. But Mondays, I find you really gotta rev up. Do you? Because this is a lot of people go to jobs and they're just like, you know, I got to go to work. I wonder, honestly, and I guess can you say honestly when your boss is sitting next to you asking? So perhaps make signs with your eyes if you don't believe it. Just wink if you don't believe what you're saying. But no, seriously, I mean, I like coming here. Like I know maybe that's easy for me to say, but I really like coming here. I like coming in and seeing you two in your office, and I'm pointing to Emma, and I'm pointing to Amanda, and they're sitting in there. You know, Emma's having her breakfast, big giant containers of food. I don't know how it works, but I believe if she stops eating at any point in her day, she collapses. She's got a good plan there with the food, and you know, and I get to go, you know, see Blake, and we catch up on the day, and so on, but I have found people not coming in like you know, kind of like, oh damn, I got to go to work. Even though in the summer we all say it, but I wondered how you feel in the morning.

Blake Hunsley 39:30
I've been here for six and a half years, so I feel I can talk to this a little bit. This is the first job I come into, and don't trudge up the stairs on my way in here. And that's mostly a critique of me. Part of it is that I wish I'd found OSC one step closer about 20 years earlier because for so long I felt stuck and just didn't know what I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up when I was 30 for heaven's sakes yes late diagnosis ADHD so all kinds of fun there yes but you come in here you get the supportive team you can't walk by the One step closer classroom without just picking some stuff up through like osmosis, essentially like you would do. You pick up a comfort in here, and then we'll sit down at the table on a Monday morning. We always start the staff meeting, and we have these stories on the Monday morning. Oh, hey, we got this person employed. Oh, hey, this person came in; they got to see their kid for the first time in two years. It's a pretty easy gig to show up to and feel good about things. But I, again, the only thing that makes me mad about working here is that I wish one step closer had been something I discovered at 20 instead of coming to work at 40. But so yes, if you haven't discovered one step closer yet and you're feeling very stuck, please give us a call.

Tova Sherman 40:33
That's certainly the part, anybody?

Evan Dobbie 40:35
It's a great reflection too of yeah our efforts to make the office a more welcoming place for our clients by being a kinder, gentle environment, by having things like Neo, and it turns out the knock-on effect, it also benefits us too. And like having such like a kind staff, such a great camaraderie, all these things, like it also really benefits us and makes it such a more enjoyable place to just show up every day,

Tova Sherman 41:03
and I find it's that. And I'm going to go to you if you don't mind anything. But I also find that you actually wouldn't mind hanging out with folks outside of work. Maybe not me so much, but the rest of you.

Blake Hunsley 41:12
You're coming to my house in three hours.

Tova Sherman 41:14
Yes, yes, yeah, but I think I have to clean or something.

Blake Hunsley 41:15
No, literally. No, no, no.

Tova Sherman 41:17
Yeah, we have our annual staff picnic at Blake's house. It's true. It's awesome if you're invited. Herve, what's your thoughts on all of this? I mean, you know, you're someone who's you know done a lot of different things, which I love about you. But what are your thoughts coming in here, and what you've noticed?

Herve Kazungu 41:36
Absolutely. I think one of the pleasures that I have as part of my job is as we mentioned earlier, the one-step closer program is one of the the first things that people do when they get here. So when it is a successful story, they don't just disappear; they go on to do more programming here. So seeing that person who was with me two, three weeks ago go on to do more things in the office, do more programming, and you see how they're progressing within their own life, but also how happy they are to be here and interact with everybody. I think it's a joy for me because I got to interact with them at the very beginning of that journey, and I get to see them for a couple more weeks, even though they're not directly in one of my programs.

Tova Sherman 42:19
Right, right. I've noticed nobody mentioned food. Okay, it's me, baby. Tova here, food. No, I also want to acknowledge that people walking in and smelling a lunch, having a yogurt at breakfast when they haven't had anything to eat. That that stuff is really, I think, perked people up. And I've noticed in some of the outtakes, folks like to mention the fact that it means a lot to them to have that food security. Knowing every morning when they come in, you know, you need something to eat. It's there every lunch hour. There's going to be a protein, a meat. There's going to be vegetables. There's going to be a starch. Like it's a proper meal lunch. And I think that everyone has contributed to that, by the way, because it's not a highly funded program. It's just a let's get the food in, and we'll handle it from there. And I just want to thank everyone for that as well, because for me, growing up where you know everything happened in the kitchen, I feel this comfort when you can come to our our place and know you will be fed, but not just fed a an egg salad sandwich. Not that that's a problem. I'm not personally a fan, but you know, but like a chili with turkey, and you know all of that, and it just it makes me feel better when I smell the food when I come in, and I know it does it for other people too because we used to lose, and Evan, you can say, remember this, we'd lose so many people without lunch. They would just leave and never come back because they were hungry, and they had to go to the food, you know, banks maybe, or they had to go do something else to rustle up.

Blake Hunsley 43:43
They couldn't just sit and try to learn important things on an empty stomach. No one should be expected.

Tova Sherman 43:47
People said it all the time. So I just want to also acknowledge that I think that has added a warmth. You know, both internally and externally. You know, the senses, but a warmth to the process here at Reachability, and people often, you know, I think the greatest compliment for everyone here is they don't want to leave. I would say that's one of our biggest challenges is getting them out the door to go to the next step because they became comfortable. And I know that's one of the reasons you guys are doing more outside, different people, all of that. And I love bringing in an employer to talk to them. So a lot more of that's going on, and I think that's probably removing some of the fear. And I also know Marcus has this great module he does on fear of going to work, fear of going to the next step, whatever it is. And I have to say, I think that adding that to the end of the employment program has been very smart because it's something they need to hear, and you can never hear enough. And I think it's also boding well that you're developing the employer relationships better and saying, "Here's who we are, here's who our clients are." So I'm really impressed by that as well, and that's expanding our network because we're all about partnership, and I think we've done a nice job as a small agency doing a lot by bringing in partners that can support that,

Blake Hunsley 45:01
And while we're talking about partners in the food program, we really should take a minute. Halifax International Airport has supported our food program this year. That's right. We've also received funding this year from Nova Scotia Power for some of our programs. That's right. Law Foundation of Nova Scotia, Province of Nova Scotia, office of Mental Health and Addictions. We want to send some big thanks to all these people, for sure, they keep the lights on. They keep us here. They keep us really helping our clients, and they're going to be powering us in the next year coming, which we should talk about. We did promise we talked a bit about plans for future months and for the year ahead, and instead we've just been having too much fun telling stories. So,

Tova Sherman 45:35
so bringing it around again, I appreciate that. For instance, a great example of that is is just the changes we put in the employment program and how we're going to implement. So moving forward, Marcus, why don't you get us rolling? Moving forward, what are some of the things you're looking forward to that we're either adding or you're developing as part of your role? You're always expanding,

Markus Fortune 45:55
yeah, always. And you know, I've been in this role for I'm having a hard time remembering. I think like two years in this role. But what's most important for me now is not only connecting with community partners, but and I I do want to explain this playing well with community partners as well. I find like what I'm getting at is you know I don't gatekeep information. You know, I it's not mine to keep. It's public knowledge, so I always share that information with everyone I run into. And what I find most really exciting about that is whenever I'm explaining a new resource, usually the person does not know about it, and I I find that really exciting. You know, sharing something new for someone, for instance, LinkedIn Learning through the libraries. Every time I bring that up, it's for free. You can get certificates online. We do it, you know, in my program in employment. Absolutely. So yeah, that's something I want to do in the future: is focus more on, you know, spreading that message of let's all do this. We are all all serving the same community. We can all get along, support in the same way, and all, you know, realistically keep doing what we need to do long term for the community.

Tova Sherman 47:13
I think that's great. You know, I I grabbed from poor little Emma, who's brought this great little out,

Blake Hunsley 47:19
and you misnamed her,

Tova Sherman 47:21
and I wasn't even Emma; it was Amanda. So you couldn't let that go. No one could see me.

Blake Hunsley 47:25
I know.

Tova Sherman 47:27
Sure,

Blake Hunsley 47:27
we can't do that.

Tova Sherman 47:28
You know they can't let me even for a moment. So see, you don't even have to defend yourself, Amanda, because there's an entire table of people defending

Blake Hunsley 47:36
allies.

Tova Sherman 47:38
Thank you. I'm feeling very ganged up on. Here's the deal, clients. We do a really good intake and outtake. We talk about happiness. We talk about stress. We talk about management. And this particular outtake that you brought along, Amanda, which I really liked, this question. I wanted to share with people that we use this question because this is our future, and we ask if someone told me they were nervous about attending. In this case, ready set success RSS. I would say so. Different clients are advising how we handle nervous people coming to the program. I think it's such a clever question, and the answer in this one was they reach out where you are and where you need to be. They are there for you and your journey, and they're focused on genuine goals. I mean, that's really, and I know who that is, and I can tell you that's not where they were when they came. So, good work.

Blake Hunsley 48:32
This is something I'd really like us to do more in the new year too. Is we have these clients who have just really succeeded when they've come out of reachability, and we hear, you know, sometimes they'll send an email six months later, and they're like, "Guys, you won't believe how good things are going. I know. As fun as that is, I would love to get some of those people in to talk to the clients, to talk to the Ready Set Success classroom, and say, "You know what?

Tova Sherman 48:51
Some of your graduates.

Blake Hunsley 48:53
Yeah, I was here six months ago.

Tova Sherman 48:54
What a wonderful idea.

Blake Hunsley 48:55
Exactly, it happens sometimes. Thank you. But yeah, we have them back in the new year to talk about that in person with them, kind of

Tova Sherman 49:01
see, we're always thinking, we're always open to new ideas. Herve, what are your thoughts on this? What in the new year do you want to see happening in one step, or what do you see either? I know actually you and Alex have been working very hard on curriculum updates. And by the way, let's acknowledge that if you cannot use the same old material year after year, you can't teach a course once five years ago on disability confidence and then expect everyone to know it forever. Things change and they change rapidly. And what I've loved also, and and one step is a great example as well as the the employment program, and that is the updating going on, the constant learning. Like right now, Franco and I've been talking about a potential program down the road, and we made a decision not to have a curriculum, not to have a PowerPoint, but just to do it through discussion and theme to get to where we want to be. And I just love that kind of conversation. What's happening new for you?

Herve Kazungu 49:54
Yeah, I'd say I would actually like to point out something that maybe didn't. enough love in the first half of our podcast here in our first aid program.

Tova Sherman 50:06
Oh no, that was a you know I didn't mention this.

Blake Hunsley 50:10
We joked about keeping us live, but it is actually worth more than a.

Tova Sherman 50:12
It is worth a mention. It's been a big journey for Herve to bring it to this community to our office for our clients.

Blake Hunsley 50:20
Because we should mention you are yeah you are you are certified by oh the name of the

Herve Kazungu 50:25
state yes we are we are in our fourth month and we are offering first aid in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross and it's been an important thing to add to our programming because one of the things that was mentioned earlier in the podcast is that we we want to provide tools for success to our clients, and first aid is one of those tools that's very important right now as people are applying for jobs. And the second thing it does achieve is overcome barriers, and that happens in two ways: both financial barriers, but but also learning barriers. Where if you go out there, most first aid courses are offered with maybe 30 people in a class, 20 something, and sometimes people do not get that attention that they need to actually follow through with the program. So here at Reachability, we do have smaller class sizes, and we're sure that everybody gets the attention they need and the help that they need to actually complete the program. So I think this is something I'm really looking forward to for the upcoming year, strengthening what we already have going and yeah, making it part of what we do.

Tova Sherman 51:37
Well, you know, I like this term. I use the term "win, win, win" a lot because I believe the more wins in anything we do, the more people will want to do it, and the easier it will be. It's really that simple. But in particular, the first aid edition is a true win-win-win. You've already mentioned two of the wins. The clients are getting, you know, certified. It's important on resumes, as the employment team will tell you, to have some certification since 2000. You know what I mean. We're updating resumes. We're showing capacity, but also it's assessing their capacity to move forward into other programming because first aid does demand certain things, and we learn very quickly also some of the barriers they're going to face if they move forward to employment through this learning. What do you think?

Emma Atkinson 52:16
Yeah, and

Tova Sherman 52:17
you are Emma, right? Yeah, never mind.

Emma Atkinson 52:20
Can kind of talk about that as well because yeah, I guess one of our challenges, like mine and Amanda's challenges for employment, but also something that we're looking forward to, is technology. So as we know,

Tova Sherman 52:34
and you mean by that the level of technological knowledge of clients coming in,

Emma Atkinson 52:39
yeah, and you know, this day and age, technology is all over the place for any job. Really, you need to know how to use any technological tools. But what we kind of started to realize is that a lot of the clients that were coming through to Ready Set Success kind of lacked those technological skills that were needed to do the program, but then also to then go to the workforce. So that has been, I think, maybe our main challenge so far this year. But what we're looking forward to, and what we have done to hopefully make this change is that we've actually incorporated different programs and different lessons, different things for the clients to do to hopefully advance their technological skills, so that when they do move into employment with me that they are fully ready for any workforce that they go to because now they have the technological skills to you know send an email, create a Google Doc, a presentation, whatever it may be. So as it's a challenge, we're also just looking forward to seeing that play out and seeing the clients just benefit it benefit from in the future,

Tova Sherman 54:05
and I really have to acknowledge that. In addition to bringing that to the table, I know we're also have Evan doing some journaling, so we get better writing because Evan's a really fine writer, so he's taking on that piece as well as some IT for folks that really need a bit of one on one, which we're determining very quickly, especially around first aid, it's another one of the wins is understanding where they are, and also being able to say to the clients, "You come here, we're going to work with you where you are and get you where you need to be. If you're open to it, it's going to work. If you know you're not ready yet, then we understand and we'll see what changes down the road. But most importantly, is identifying these kinds of things you're doing as you go, and not being afraid to upset the apple cart a little bit by getting those things in. We're an agency that believes in constantly challenging ourselves on why we do something, and it takes us back to that very first question, which is why would you send someone you care about or yourself to a reachability program, and I think the answer is just look at this table. And although you can't see it, trust me, great people all around. What do you think?

Blake Hunsley 55:11
I think we did it. I think that sums us up what we've been up to in the last year. I think if people want to know more about what's coming in the new year, we are at 3845 Joseph Howe Drive in Halifax, Suite 201. I think you should just come and give us a visit. One thing I wanted to say about the new year before we go too is if you we talked a little bit about past clients here and about how we're always welcoming someone to come back, especially if you need us and it didn't work out the first time. I want to make that point. Don't be afraid to come back if things have changed. If something has changed and you are ready to try again. We're going to be here for you. If something hasn't changed and you are still not ready to put the effort in on yourself, then we'll talk to you

Tova Sherman 55:48
and have a visit

Blake Hunsley 55:48
in a couple months. But we really are firm believers in the mantra we say all the time: nobody goes nowhere. So if you're willing to try, come and see us. We are not going to leave you stuck. We're going to set you up with Herve. We're going to put you in one step closer. We're going to get you to meet Neo. That's going to get you into employment, and then Marcus is going to solve all of your other problems, but potentially only temporarily housing. We're still working on housing. Send us your solutions right away.

Tova Sherman 56:11
Yeah, please also focus on housing. You're welcome. Yes, but I do want to say finally though that you know the government of Nova Scotia is our primary funder. I know that Blake mentioned some other ones, but we want to acknowledge that during these tumultuous times, they've been a good supporter of ours and our programming. And we look forward to both consulting on some of the changes that are coming here in Nova Scotia through our our government partners, and being part of the solution and continuing to do the good work because the community that we tend to work with is that very marginalized community, and we want to make sure the playing field is equalized for everybody. Nothing special about it.

Blake Hunsley 56:51
We have been serving people with some of the most acute needs in our community for 27 years, 20 days, almost 30. Almost let us say almost 30, and we're planning on continuing to be here for the long haul, so check us out, reachbilities.org. Come visit us, give us a call 902-429-5878, and we're happy to tell you all about the good work we're doing here. Everybody, thank you for listening to Within Our Reach. This has been season two of our podcast, which was made possible thanks to the support of the Province of Nova Scotia and the Support for Culture program. If you have feedback on an episode, an idea for future episode topics, or if you would like to come and join us on season three in the new year, yes, I'm talking a lot. Stop making little motions at me, boss lady. All right,

Tova Sherman 57:31
it was Marcus.

Blake Hunsley 57:32
Yes, it was Marcus. It's always Marcus. Yeah, it's always Marcus. You'd like to tell us why it's always Marcus's fault while he's while he's helping you with everything except potentially permanent housing, reach out to us at within our reach@reachability.org. Thank you all very much for listening.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai