Lisa Tayfour is not mincing words when she describes the disappointment she feels that a GoFundMe campaign to help the House of Sophrosyne expand its services has not raised more.
In the past three days, it has raised just $1,250.
"It is so discouraging to see a community like Windsor which is in a terrible situation with addiction. Think about what's going on in our city. It's lambasted in the newspaper about how bad it is," said Tayfour, chair of the Woman's Campaign, on Tuesday. "Every single person feels sorry for a homeless person -- but what people don't understand is that most of those people that use the [Downtown] Mission are addicts."
The House of Sophrosyne has been helping women recover from addiction for the past 40 years in Windsor.
When asked if the stigma against drug and alcohol addiction is holding back would-be donors, Tayfour said, "It's 100 per cent the stigma."
"And even the people who have lost children to addiction just don't want to get involved because reliving it is hard for them. In some way, shape, or form they feel that they contributed to their loved one's addiction," she added. "The furthest thing from the truth."
Last week, a local philanthropist challenged the community to raise $1 million by June 30. The donor said he will match the funds so the House of Sophrosyne can complete renovations at its new facility at the former St. Alexander Catholic Elementary School on Adstoll Avenue.
"He's only going to match what we raise up to $1 million. So if we only raise $2,000, that's our million dollar chance gone out the door," explained Tayfour.
The agency launched a capital fundraising campaign in June 2016 to raise $3.75 million and has raised just over $1 million so far.
While day programs including counselling are being offered at the new Lisa Tayfour Building for Recovery in the east end, its residential program continues out at the out-dated building on Chappell Street.
"Windsor-Essex has been identified by the government as a 'hot spot' for providing care to a very vulnerable population such as those individuals we serve each and every day," read a release from the House of Sophrosyne. "This means our region has one of the largest populations of 'high users' of the health care system."
Tayfour said most women with addiction are self-medicating some past trauma.
"You can't just say a person makes a choice if you don't know the situation. It's not really fair for people to judge why a person is in that predicament.," she said. "The girl that was raped when she was 12-years-old and tries to self-medicate. You don't know her pain."
The agency provides programs and services designed to help women deal with substance abuse including a residential addiction program, day treatment, aftercare and continuing care, and crisis counselling. However, the waiting list for some programs is eight months.
Tayfour said she hoped by being frank about her struggle to raise funds more people would reconsider and put their money towards the cause.
"Everybody feels when there's a donation that's required that they have to give thousands of dollars and that's not true. If a thousand people gave $25, that $25,000 essentially turns into $50,000 because of Al's pledge. If that's what they can give, that's what they can give," she said. "I'm not going to dictate what everybody can give, but I think everybody can. That's what's discouraging."
