WrapAround has been making a difference in Hamilton families and neighbourhoods for years, and a recent 10-year reflection highlights some powerful results.

In the past 10 years, Shalem’s WrapAround has been supporting 124 participants from the City of Hamilton and surrounding areas. These participants reported that through the WrapAround program, they achieved changes to improve their lives in many areas, particularly the areas of finances, housing, personal matters, child-related issues, legal situations, health, and food security.

WrapAround is a life-planning process through which individuals and families with complex needs are supported to choose a team of people who come alongside them as they seek to meet goals they set to better their lives. These teams are made up of family members, friends and professionals who all work together in a strength-based, needs-driven process.

Many of these team members are volunteers from the local community or from faith organizations. Shalem’s WrapAround is possible because of the involvement of 86 volunteers and coordinators, who collectively have given over 10,580 volunteer hours as they actively support families in working toward their goals.

In 2009, WrapAround developed a partnership with the Mohawk College Social Service Worker program. Through this partnership, students have regularly completed placements with WrapAround. Over the past 10 years, WrapAround has also had students from Redeemer University College, Everest College, Trios College, McMaster University, and University of Manitoba. There have been 72 students providing 16,097 hours of WrapAround involvement.

This summer, WrapAround had a summer employee, Allan Chung, who reviewed the history of Shalem’s WrapAround presence in Hamilton, providing the information shared above, and giving a map of communities served. He also provides a detailed history of the highlights of each year from 2009 to 2019. You can read his entire report to get the whole picture.

To learn more about WrapAround services in Hamilton and beyond, check out Shalem’s website. And to find out more about how to become a trained WrapAround facilitator or volunteer yourself, connect with Elske or Mary. You can be part of making a difference in Hamilton and beyond over the next 10 years!

Based on the WrapAround Hamilton 2009-2019 Reflection written by Allan Chung, Shalem’s Canada Summer Jobs Employee