Agency spotlight: Thresholds Homes and Supports

Thresholds Homes and Supports is an organization dedicated to supporting individuals with mental health conditions. Through a wide range of services—including housing supports, psychiatry, and wellness programming—Thresholds helps people build stability, independence, and a higher quality of life.

One of these services is the Crisis Stabilization Beds Program, available to adults in Waterloo region who are experiencing a mental health crisis and need short-term, 24-hour supportive care. Participants receive counselling, emotional and medication support, and assistance connecting with other community resources. The program offers five beds, and individuals can stay for up to five days.

With support from The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, Thresholds provides a variety of meals and snacks to participants in the program—items such as cereal, fruit cups, peanut butter, and granola bars.

“We have always provided three meals a day, but [support from The Food Bank] allows us to offer more variety, as well as snacks that weren’t in the budget before,” explains Melissa Boshart, the director of programming at Thresholds Homes and Supports. “People always had access to some food; they just have access to more food now.”

Participants enjoying some holiday baking.

Thresholds also operates a warming centre on Lawrence Avenue in Kitchener, in partnership with the Region of Waterloo. Open seven days a week from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. from November through April, the centre provides a safe overnight space for 30 to 40 adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

Support from The Food Bank helps Thresholds provide a wider assortment of food to guests staying overnight—prepared meals, handheld fruit, sliced bread, canned meat, cereal, granola bars, fruit cups, and even pickles.

The kitchen at the warming centre.

“Before we were connected to The Food Bank, we provided snacks to people, but it was limited in terms of what it was and how much we could give out,” Melissa shares. “One of the impacts of the partnership with The Food Bank is that we can offer more food, a variety of food, and we don’t have to limit it in the same way. People can come in—many of whom haven’t eaten that day—and be provided with something to eat.”

Food support from The Food Bank also allows Thresholds to redirect funding to enhance their services in other ways.

“Having food support from The Food Bank allows us to spend money in different ways,” Melissa says. “For example, this year, we were able to buy nicer cots.”

One of the rooms with cots.

Above all, Melissa emphasizes the importance of meeting people’s basic needs.

“So many of the people in both spaces—but especially at the warming centre—are experiencing food scarcity,” she says. “They don’t know when they’re going to eat next or where their next meal is coming from. Knowing they can come to a warm space where they’re offered almost unrestricted items to eat is fundamental. Meeting those basic needs is the most important work because if you can’t access food, you can’t survive.”

Thresholds Homes and Supports is one of 61 organizations in the Community Food Assistance Network. If you’d like to help The Food Bank support Network partners like, visit our Get Involved section on our website to learn more about donating food, funds, or time.