This Pride Month, LOFT’s Community Support Worker Christopher Grondin shared what a day in his life looks like at our McEwan Housing and Support Services program.

LOFT’s McEwan Housing and Support Services program offers supportive housing and one-on-one support for adults who are 18 years old or older, living with HIV/AIDS in combination with mental health and/or addiction issues and a history of homelessness.

As a Community Support Worker at McEwan Christopher Grondin provides our clients with long-term one-on-one support. “I support them to live improved, independent lives,” he says. “I work closely with my clients to support their healthcare, housing, employment, access to justice, life skills, and activities of daily living needs.”

To help illustrate the work that we do, Christopher “took over” LOFT’s Instagram account on June 22, 2021 to share, via Instagram Stories, what a day in his role looks like. You can watch the video series on our Instagram account by clicking here and tapping on the “A Day @ McEwan” story highlighted on our profile.

“I wish people were able to see the impact of the work we do at LOFT,” Christopher says. “There is still a lot of stigma and stereotyping around people living with mental health challenges, and oftentimes people overlook the improvements people can make in their lives. I’m thankful I get to work closely with clients and see the ways they change their lives.”

On June 27, 2021, in partnership with MAC Cosmetics Canada, Christopher hosted a live conversation with one of our McEwan clients called “Getting Ready for Pride” on MAC’s and LOFT’s Instagram accounts. In the chat, they talked about the importance of celebrating pride, the challenges the community still faces, and their hope for the future. You can watch the recording on MAC Cosmetics Canada’s Instagram account by clicking here.

For 15 years, MAC Cosmetics has supported LOFT’s HIV/AIDS and LGBT2SQ+ work, creating staffing opportunities to provide support to folks within these communities thanks to their MAC Viva Glam grant. We’re grateful for MAC’s invaluable support. Learn more about MAC’s long-term commitment to our work here.