Faith & Friends January 2021

Faith&Friends

SOMEONE CARES

A Safe Place The Salvation Army’s Ellen Osler Home in Dundas, Ont., helps people like Terri to start over. by Linda Leigh

C

ulture shock. Depression. Anger. Life after prison can be a difficult transition. In Dundas, Ont., The Salvation Army’s Ellen Osler Home, a historic Tudor-style house, offers a safe living environment, life-skills programs and community referrals for federal female parolees as they work toward community reintegration. “Ellen Osler Home gave me the resources, confidence and strength needed to lead a new and productive life,” says Terri, a former resident. “Every day, I thank God for this opportunity to start over.”

26 • JANUARY 2021  I faithandfriends.ca

A Life Ruined “I remember the night of the accident,” says Terri. “My ex-boyfriend and I had been drinking. We hadn’t seen each other for four months and got into the car to ‘talk.’ I was driving over the speed limit when an argument ensued. I was hit in the face and knocked out. The next thing I remember is the paramedics cutting me out of the car.” Terri was hospitalized for five days with a broken hip and pelvis, broken ribs and a concussion. Sadly, with the impact of the crash, her ex was thrown clear, run over and killed