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November 6, 2009
New home for Yaffa residents
A second house is purchased to meet a community need.
SUSAN J. KATZ
The piano sounds of "Lecha Dodi" and other Shabbat songs mingled with the chatter and hubbub of the residents, family and friends of Vancouver's Yaffa House, at the Kabbalat Shabbat gathering on Oct. 30. The residents had something very special to celebrate: their new neighbors will be more Vancouver Yaffa Housing Society (VYHS) residents, thanks to generous donations by several community families. VYHS provides homes for Jewish adults with mental illness.
According to VYHS board member Aaron Estrin, "This type of housing need, for people with a mental illness, is the same, a parallel, to all the seniors housing we already have; this is just another segment of our community that is, perhaps, even more vulnerable. This is a population that deserves the same recognition."
Estrin hopes that adding this new residence, which is next door to the current house, plus the additional five units of supportive housing in the Dunbar neighborhood, will put VYHS back in the forefront of the Jewish community's consciousness.
"VYHS is trying to grow. We have five plus five plus five equals 15 units now. This has to be ongoing – and the community has needs far beyond that." Estrin is referring to the recent needs assessment report (2008) commissioned by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which indicates that there are about 1,200 adults in the Jewish community living with a mental illness who require supportive housing. Even with the new purchase, the number of units available to house them remains far short of the total number needed.
Dr. Robert Huber, VYHS president noted that, "more donations are needed for operations and furnishings before the home can be populated. Specific needs include bedroom and kitchen furnishings, electrical work, drywalling and painting. The basement area could be renovated to add two more living quarters to the three on the main floor. The proximity, because it is next door to the current Yaffa House, will benefit our society by allowing an overlap of services to all of the residents."
Guest and community member Dori Jaffe was excited and relieved about the new residence, saying, "I'm so happy – there's more housing for adults with a mental illness, and it's so impressive.... I'm relieved, and it's next door. It has an enormous backyard and there can be flowerbeds and a regular vegetable garden and it's so quiet. I'm so happy and grateful to the donors for being willing to support this venture."
Lyle Lexier, who plays the piano at Yaffa House whenever he attends the gatherings, would like to live in the VYHS community. "I'd like to move to Yaffa House too so I don't have to eat out and I can manage my diet better," he said.
Lexier plays piano by ear. "I don't know music theory well but I do know how to tell the key and 'read' the music in my head, and then I can play the tune once I've heard it."
Having the new residence directly adjacent to the current home has many advantages. Charles Leibovitch, mental health support worker for Yaffa House, will be able to attend to the residents of both homes without losing time traveling. Most importantly, though, having two homes creates more community for the residents.
According to Estrin, "We always need volunteers, board help and fundraising from the community. We hope this is significant enough to get the attention it needs in our community. We're in this venture for the long haul."
For more information, visit yaffahousing.ca.
Susan J. Katz is a Vancouver freelance writer. To contact her, e-mail [email protected].
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