Hi all, this is Marilee. Luckily, the weather turned back and we got some great sunshine on our last full day in Hamilton. Today we headed to one Indwell location. Indwell is a Hamilton-based charity that supports communities by providing extremely affordable housing solutions, and wraparound services to contribute to tenants’ stability and success. Indwell has several properties in Hamilton and other cities. Today we were at Ain-Dah-Ing (pronounced AH-dah-ning), which is an indigenous term that means ‘our home.’ 

We jumped right into helping by cleaning apartments that tenants had moved out of, so that new tenants could move in. Two of the Indwell staff members, Noah and Diogo, gave us an on-the-ground look at how they manage the Indwell facilities. We scrubbed, mopped, wiped, and swept. Some of the apartments had been left in rough shape, but we made them sparkle!

After taking a break for lunch, the volunteer coordinator for Indwell came to talk to us about Indwell’s mission and history. Indwell houses 1200 tenants in different cities in Ontario. We learned a lot about their model for sustainable housing and support services. Then we cleaned another apartment to get it ready for a new tenant. 

After that, we had our final dinner at the L’Arche Hamilton homes. It’s been such a joy to spend time with so many of the core members in their own space. Tonight, Courtney and I played card games and jenga with one of the core members at the Holton House. There were lots of laughs!