A Fresh Start: NAHC & CMHA Partnership Delivers Affordable Housing and Renewed Hope

Before she moved to Willow Grande Estates, Heather Schwartz didn’t sleep more than five hours a night. She and her 13-year-old daughter, Sadie, had lived in an affordable housing apartment since Sadie was a baby, but it had become progressively unsafe.

“We’d have people knocking on our door at all hours of the night, arguing in the hallways,” Heather said. “It wasn’t comfortable.”

A few years ago, there was a shooting in the building — in the suite directly below them, in the room beneath her daughter’s.

That experience prompted Heather to take action and find more suitable housing. She applied through the National Affordable Housing Corporation’s independent living rentals, and NAHC helped her connect with the Canadian Mental Health Association – Saskatoon.

Diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), Heather has dealt with high anxiety, which sometimes makes it difficult to function day-to-day. Since moving to a safer, quieter environment, she says life is now much easier to manage.

"I’m a lot better emotionally; my anxiety levels have gone down,” she said. “My stress levels are almost non-existent."

The first day she moved into Willow Grande Estates, she slept a full eight hours.

Sadie is thriving in the new environment, too. Heather says her daughter loves that the park is just half a block away. They regularly go for walks and bike rides in the area, and many amenities are within walking distance or easily accessible by transit.

Heather also appreciates being able to live in an area that would otherwise be unaffordable, and the new opportunities the lower rent has opened up for her.

"I’m looking to the future and want to buy a home,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to save for that, and it allows my daughter and me to grow in a safe space."

‘It is truly a miracle’

Zama Sylvester moved to Saskatoon from South Africa in September 2023 and gave birth to her twin daughters, Divine and Destiny, in the same month. She had come to study at SBC College, but juggling work, school, studying, and childcare without her husband, who remains abroad, proved too challenging.

"I exhausted my funds because it was just going out of my bank account, and nothing was coming in," Zama said.

She ended up in a shelter at the YWCA Saskatoon. While there, she met Faith Bodnar, executive director of CMHA Saskatoon, who helped her connect with the CMHA mothers’ group.

"The therapy group session was very good for me,” Zama said. “I needed that because I felt isolated at the YWCA."

CMHA also helped her look for jobs, find daycare, and apply for housing with the NAHC.

Adina Wilson, her contact with NAHC, provided practical support that Zama deeply appreciated — helping her find a baby gate for the stairs and coordinating its installation. Adina also guided her through getting internet and power hooked up before her move, as well as applying for the provincial housing benefit.

"I was at the point of actually giving up when I was at the YWCA,” Zama said. "This has been a big seed of hope for me and my family. A lot of people couldn’t believe that I was once homeless and now live at Willowview Heights. It's a blessing, and we’re so grateful."

She has applied for her husband, Joseph, and her six-year-old daughter, Daniella, to join her in Canada. Daniella is already enrolled in a nearby school and can start as soon as she arrives.

"Everything that is happening is truly a miracle for me,” Zama said. “We are just starting a new chapter, and things look much brighter. I am less and less stressed."

‘I’m very blessed’

Madison W. says moving to Willowview Heights was her family’s only chance at having their own home. Madison and her boys, nine-year-old Ryder and four-year-old Daxton, had lived at her father’s home before joining the NAHC and CMHA housing program.

"I'm a low-income single mom, and ... there was no sight of ever getting our own place with the price of everything these days," she said. "Having the affordable rent lets me put extra money towards savings if I have it. ... It gives me a little bit more flexibility."

She likes that the townhome is close to everything, including parks and schools. There’s more space for her family, and her boys now have their own bedrooms, which wasn’t possible when they shared a home with her father.

“It’s more of a family feel and gives us some independence. … I feel like a real adult now," she said with a laugh.

In addition to the housing program, CMHA provides career counselling, and help writing resumes and job searches, which Madison says she might pursue soon. She also appreciates how understanding the NAHC staff has been and knows she can reach out to them if she has any issues.

"I’m very blessed to have gotten this opportunity," she said.

Since 2021, the NAHC has partnered with housing and supported community independent living programs benefiting 36 people and families. If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties related to mental health or other challenges and is struggling to find housing, please visit CMHA Saskatoon or the National Affordable Housing Corporation to learn more, access mental health support, or apply for one of our housing programs.