{"id":10497,"date":"2026-02-06T12:54:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=10497"},"modified":"2026-02-09T12:57:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:57:35","slug":"they-brought-my-dignity-back-blue-door-helping-seniors-struggling-to-find-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/they-brought-my-dignity-back-blue-door-helping-seniors-struggling-to-find-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"‘They brought my dignity back:’ Blue Door helping seniors struggling to find housing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted On: February 6, 2026, Posted By: Joseph Quigley, NewmarketToday, Original Article.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ontario Trillium Foundation provides $87,300 to Blue Door for renovations to Newmarket transitional housing facility aiding senior men<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habib Saermajles said things were bleak for him two years ago when he was homeless and sleeping in his car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once moderately wealthy, Saermajles said he was financially wrecked after massive business deals with the Iranian and Turkish governments fell through. He fled to Canada, but recounted finding himself homeless without the income to afford rent. He recounted not wanting to tell his kids about the situation and trouble them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he said he was not suicidal, he admitted feeling so hopeless that he wished for death. Things were bleak \u2014 up until he contacted Ontario Works, and eventually, connected with York Region housing organization Blue Door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within 24 hours, Saermajles said he was in a Blue Door transitional housing program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey not just saved my life, they brought my dignity back,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel I\u2019m part of this community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Door celebrated a boost in its efforts to provide transitional housing support to seniors like Saermajles during a grant recognition event Feb. 5. Last summer, the Ontario Trillium Foundation provided an $87,300 capital grant to Blue Door to help with renovations for its Forward program facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program based in Newmarket provides transitional housing for at-risk senior men, with the funding going to renovations like accessible entryways and outdoor spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Door board member Julie Ralph said that seniors living on fixed incomes are being disproportionately affected by rising housing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany seniors are struggling to find housing that is both affordable and accessible,\u201d Ralph said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn York Region, rent prices continue to outpace pensions and income supports \u2026This funding has allowed Blue Door to invest directly in our Forward program. Our program for transitional housing is designed to support senior men in accessing safe, dignified housing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ralph said the upgrades they made to their Forward property were important to improve both safety and quality of life for their residents there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dignitaries visited Blue Door\u2019s Construct facility in Aurora for the celebration. Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy expressed appreciation to the OTF for the funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200b\u201cThis organization, Blue Door, they build stronger, more connected, and more resilient communities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OTF, as an agency of the Ontario government, provides grants for hundreds of community projects each year. In 2025, it invested nearly $105 million into 732 projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OTF representative Richard Farmer said Blue Door made a strong case for the grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve made a difference in the lives of so many people,\u201d Farmer said of Blue Door. \u201cI want to thank you for bringing this to our attention so that we can help you with your work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saermajles said he appreciates all the staff in Blue Door, and the others being helped by the Forward program feel the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*He said it brought him from a position of hopelessness to having “hope for (the) future.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted On: February 6, 2026, Posted By: Joseph Quigley, NewmarketToday, Original Article. Ontario Trillium Foundation provides $87,300 to Blue Door for renovations to Newmarket transitional housing facility aiding senior men Habib Saermajles said things were bleak for him two years ago when he was homeless and sleeping in his car. Once moderately wealthy, Saermajles said he was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":10498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t