Commentary, Opinion

CONTACT’s Rodger’s Way Home: The magic of a key to homeless seniors

October 8, 2026   ·   0 Comments

There is a moment we are fortunate enough to witness at CONTACT’s Rodger’s Way Home in Collingwood that never becomes ordinary. It is the moment when a senior who has experienced homelessness is handed the key to a home of their own.

For many of the people who come through our doors, that key represents far more than an apartment. It represents safety, privacy and dignity. It means having a place for their belongings, a door they can lock at night and the security of knowing where they will wake up tomorrow.

The seniors from across Simcoe County who come to Rodger’s Way Home have stories that could belong to almost any of us.

For some, homelessness began with the loss of a partner.

Two people had built a life together, shared expenses, managed a household and supported one another for years. Then one passed away. Along with overwhelming grief came the loss of a portion of the household income. 

Bills that had once been manageable became impossible on one income. Health declined. Responsibilities became harder to manage. Slowly, a life that had been stable began to unravel.

For another person, home had been the same rented house or apartment for 20 or more years. It was where birthdays were celebrated, grandchildren visited, and neighbours became friends. Then the property was sold.

Suddenly, a senior who had paid rent faithfully for decades was looking for a new home in a rental market completely different from the one they remembered. Their fixed income had not kept pace with current rents. They couldn’t find a comparable apartment they could afford.

They did not lose their housing because they did something wrong. The world around them changed.

For others, the turning point is illness.

Rodger’s Way Home works with seniors who are undergoing cancer treatment and others who have recently completed radiation or other intensive therapies. Some are managing chronic illness, pain, reduced mobility and multiple medical appointments while also experiencing homelessness. Imagine finishing cancer treatment and not having a home to recover in.

For the seniors at Rodger’s Way Home, these are not hypothetical situations. They are real life. Homelessness in later life does not always look the way people expect it to.

It can be someone who worked their entire life. Someone who raised a family. Someone who paid rent on time for decades. Someone who lost the person they thought they would grow old beside. Someone whose landlord sold the home they had rented for most of their adult life. Someone who became sick. Someone whose retirement income simply could not stretch far enough when everything around them became more expensive.

None of them imagined they would become homeless as a senior.

Through the County of Simcoe’s support, CONTACT’s Rodger’s Way Home operates a 13-bedroom rapid rehousing program, aimed at providing seniors with the stability and support they desperately need. 

While navigating the path to permanent housing, residents receive intensive case management, helping them tackle the hurdles that can accompany their individual situations. From replacing lost identification to reconnecting with healthcare providers, every step plays a crucial role in their rehabilitation process.

The needs of each individual are unique. It may be sorting out taxes, applying for benefits, stabilizing income, addressing debt, completing housing applications or learning how to navigate systems that have changed dramatically since the last time that person needed them.

For someone undergoing cancer treatment, the most important thing we can provide that day is simply the knowledge that after the appointment, there is a safe place to come back and rest.

Slowly, things begin to change. Someone who arrived overwhelmed begins talking about the future. Someone who thought they would never have a home again begins looking at apartments. Someone who had stopped opening mail because it felt too overwhelming begins dealing with one piece at a time. Someone begins to believe that starting over is still possible, even at 60, 70 or 80 years old.

And eventually, we get to say the words we have all been working toward:

“YOU GOT AN APARTMENT.”

Those words are wonderful.  But they are not quite the end of the story.

After months or years of homelessness, receiving a set of keys can mean opening the door to an empty apartment. There may be no bed. No bedding. No dishes or cookware.  No towels. No comfortable chair. No groceries in the refrigerator.

For someone living on a fixed income, purchasing everything required to set up a household all at once may simply be impossible.

That is why our goal at Rodger’s Way Home is not simply to help someone become housed. We want to help them go home.

Community support allows us to help fill those gaps.

It means that when a senior finally receives the keys they have worked so hard for, we can help make sure they are not opening the door to another empty space.

Together we can help support the purchase of bedding, cookware, dishes, small appliances, basic furnishings, household necessities and food that allow someone to begin again.

There is something incredibly powerful about watching that happen.

Someone who thought homelessness would be the final chapter of their story gets to turn a key, close their own front door and begin another one.

That is what Rodger’s Way Home is about.

We cannot take away the circumstances that brought someone here, but we can make sure those losses do not have to define what happens next. We can help someone rebuild.  We can help restore stability. We can help return a sense of dignity and independence that homelessness can so quickly take away.

Most importantly, we can remind someone that becoming homeless later in life does not mean their story is over.

Sometimes starting again begins with something as simple as a key.

And sometimes, with the support of a community, four empty walls can become home.

Everyone deserves more than a place to stay. Everyone deserves a place to call home.

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This week’s Community Voice column was written by Kim Stubbington, intensive case manager for CONTACT’s Rodger’s Way Home.

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