Testimonial

Hello,

Hello Josée, it was so nice speaking with you on the phone. It’s such a relief to talk to someone who understands.

I am a single mother of 4, a 20 year old adult daughter in college and three children here with me, two boys and my daughter aged 15, 12 and 7. We are in a difficult situation because while I am working on my degree I am trying to complete which is my bachelor’s degree in psychology. Quebec Student Loans reduced my student loans because they said I had reached my debt limit. So I appealed in September and I am currently waiting for their decision while continuing my studies.

We therefore have very few means to survive. Having an emergency fund for us means the kids can eat properly by the 20th of the month and it means a lot to us just waiting while things are so uncertain. Thank you very much to Josée also for her kind heart and her understanding ear. It’s such a relief to share with her.

I called The Kangaroo House following a difficult separation. I found myself a single parent overnight with 100% of the responsibilities and bills. Mrs. Josée Fortin took my call for help and chatted with me for a good hour and wow, quite a discussion! She was very human and spoke to me like one speaks to a friend. She gave me back my self-confidence and took her time to help me see what a good mother and extraordinary person I am. I was able to receive financial assistance, but the listening, empathy and appreciation that I received from Ms. Fortin had much more impact and value for me than all the dollars in the world. Thank you a thousand times!!!

I am a single mother with five children, one of whom is autistic and in a very difficult situation. I found myself without housing. The Kangaroo House helped me and my children with their emergency fund for our basic needs. Many thanks; this has taken a huge amount of stress off my shoulders.

Hello,

I am a public servant for the city of Montreal during my shift, I met a mother and her 2 month old baby, a small family who was kicked out of their rental and she contacted me for help. I found the organization The Kangaroo House and without their help the mother and her child would have been found on the street. Josée Fortin on the phone listened in a good mood and was very, very empathetic. Thank you a thousand times for this help.

I would like to thank Josee Fortin and The Kangaroo house for helping me and my son when we needed it most. We had no place to stay and Josee was able to find us a warm bed and roof over our heads. From Nunavik, thank you Josee for everything that you are doing to help families!

Hello,

Eighteen years ago, I met the man of my life. We fought our battles together, we lived in a world where people didn’t understand our age difference, but we made it our strength. On August 15, my love, my life, but above all the dad I had chosen, passed away, before the eyes of our children, his heart stopped beating and his eyes closed forever. So we find ourselves a wife and six children overwhelmed with a sorrow that never ceases to fill our eyes with tears. Every day, someone finds a way to accompany us in this process and every day we find a little comfort in them. The Kangaroo House responded to allow our daughters a moment of happiness by offering me the opportunity to buy them clothes for the start of the school year. No words or thanks can describe the expression of relief that you offer us today, a thousand thanks from a family which is trying to rebuild itself and which is pushing forward so as not to collapse. Know that you make the difference in my heart as a mother.

There will always be storms. This is the second time that we have asked for help from The Kangaroo House and each time, we have received outstanding service and valuable listening skills. This morning, after a difficult awakening, sick, with my little princess also sick, an unexpected event occurred in my budget. The Kangaroo House was able to help us! Really valuable help for this back-to-school season! Here is Zoey, 7, at her grandparents’ house, enjoying life without worries.

I would like to make a statement to thank The Kangaroo House for the help you gave me with my rent. I’m a single parent and it’s not always easy, but thanks to you, The Kangaroo House, I can breathe a little easier. A big thank you to you, and I will be grateful to you forever. Thank you very much again, and I hope that one day I can make a donation to your organization to show you my gratitude.

Hello,

I am very grateful for the help provided by The Kangaroo House to my family. We were in temporary difficulty. I am a father of 6 children, and we had nowhere to stay and they helped us in solving this problem by offering us a place to stay temporarily. Thanks for your help.

Hello,

I am a full-time dad to a beautiful big girl who is almost 8 years old. Let’s say that it’s not always easy, but thanks to The Kangaroo House and you, Josée Fortin, I was able to see hope at the end of the tunnel. I wanted to say a few words, especially to Josée, for all the help you give me, but above all, thanks to your hard work and your great determination, The Kangaroo House has still existed for more than 15 years.All my congratulations to Josée, don’t give up on your beautiful work. Thanks to you and The Kangaroo House, you can help families in need.

Thank you again a thousand times.

From Moses Aronsen and Kautjak Qaunaaluk you work for Makivvik Corporation.

Hello,

I would like to thank The Kangaroo House for helping me when I was in need. They listened and understood what I was going through. I am so grateful to this organization.

I would like to express my thanks to The Kangaroo House and in particular to Mrs. Josée Fortin for the help provided with my move at the last minute, otherwise I would have found myself having to pay two rents for the month of April because II couldn’t afford to fully pay the moving costs.

I am responsible for two children and with the high cost of living, I had difficulty assuming all the other expenses and paying the costs of my moving.

This new accommodation is very important for us, because it is inexpensive and will allow us to take a breath of fresh air.

Thank you for everything !

Thank you very much to The Kangaroo House and to Josée Fortin for all the help provided. Whether for an emergency for food aid or another emergency or for her support and attentiveness, Josée is always there to fight for women, families and children. It’s a chance to know this incredible resource that is The Kangaroo House. Thank you, I am grateful for your existence.

I am filled with hope when I see that an organization like The Kangaroo House sees a missed call without me leaving a message; calls me back to ask me the reason for my call and that in the end, I can get help when I no longer believe it! Thank you to The Kangaroo House for helping me so that I can keep my rent. Life is so hard sometimes that hope disappears, but thanks to this organization, I still believe in it! As a mother of three children, I have to face a society where the cost of living continues to increase, which makes every financial decision complex, a real headache .So I am extremely grateful to you for your help and support from the bottom of my heart.

Hello,

Thank you very much to The Kangaroo House for your help. Then a wonderful woman appeared with this organization to willingly offer us a place despite the pitfalls. Maximum help in record time. Thank you to you and to The Kangaroo House for this great help.

Thank you to The Kangaroo House for responding so quickly. My children and I are new immigrants to Quebec. I accepted a temporary job and was hoping to become permanent. Unfortunately, I didn’t get permanent and lost all my income. I applied for social assistance, employment insurance and applied for several jobs. We are currently in a waiting period. I am a single mother of two boys aged 8 and 14. My children have different fathers and one of them died. We had to live on the streets or potentially stay in the hospital emergency room for shelter. Thanks to your support, I am able to overcome this ordeal. My kids will have a safe place to sleep, and for once in almost a year, we won’t just have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for meals. We have no family or friends in Canada. Kangaroo House is such a wonderful breath of fresh air for the trials we have faced. Amen! I hope God will align things in our favor after these trials.

Thanks!

Hello,

I am a mother of 3 children and my granddaughter. We lived in an apartment that had a mold problem and we all got very sick. The owner refused to resolve the problem so we had to leave our apartment. I was very frustrated, stressed and didn’t know what else to do. I understand that the owner wanted to conclude an agreement to end the lease that I signed but unfortunately, I did not find any accommodation at that time so I made several calls to different organizations but I did not receive the help I needed. I found The Kangaroo House and that’s where I received help. I have never regretted contacting them. If anyone ever finds themselves in the same or similar situation, do not hesitate to contact The Kangaroo House. They will help you in the best possible way. I would like to thank you once again for the great help I received. I am very grateful.

Thank you to The Kangaroo House, for listening, advice and your humanity without judgment. The Kangaroo House guides us and knows how to reassure us in our role as parents. It allows young people to feel supported, heard and this is the key to the success of our young people. Thank you, because my son can enter adolescence feeling respected.

And thank you a thousand times for the help with the gift card, having a big family it helps so much. Continue your good work.

Thank you from our family to yours. We truly appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness. The Kangaroo House really offered us emotional support as well as family activities, event tickets and gift cards. I remember times when I was really at my lowest in my life, and The Kangaroo House was there for me when I needed them. We love being part of this community. The Kangaroo House is a family to us, and it has somehow become that.

Thank you a thousand times!

I went through a fire yesterday morning and lost everything following the fire. I am a single parent with two children aged 11 years and 14 months.

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart The Kangaroo House for your telephone support and for your great generosity, just a big wow. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, lucky you are here that you exist. You guys are really awesome. Thank you very much to all of you.

I love you very much, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I contacted The Kangaroo House to seek emergency help for one of my homeless pregnant clients who needed accommodation for the weekend.

I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth and understanding of Josée who immediately answered the call. She agreed to help my client with a reassuring and quick plan.

Thank you very much to The Kangaroo House and to your sensitivity Josée!

Intake counselor, Mother and Child programPortage – Freedom from Addiction

We received a call from the PDQ for a lady and her 14 year old daughter who were at the central station after hours. The lady refused to leave and said she had no place to stay, because she had just arrived in Montreal from Toronto. During our calls with the lady, she was not very coherent, seemed lost, and we could feel her coldness through these words. We went to the station to join them around 2:30 am. The two were in the station parking lot. The lady showed great discomfort in the cold. Our workers called all the resources they knew, but either they no longer had room for both, or they could only accept one of the two because of the ages. The mother and daughter did not want to separate for the night (we had suggested a youth resource for the daughter and Guy-Favreau for the mother). Searching on the internet, we found the organization The Kangaroo House. So we called there, their representative was happy to help us, she hung up so she could make calls to the hotel for us. When she called back, she told us it was possible to help us for the night with the mother and daughter. The two were therefore placed in the hotel, nice and warm for the night. The Social Development Society is extremely grateful to The Kangaroo House. Thanks to you, a mother and her daughter were able to spend the night warm, together, during a situation that had already caused its share of stress.

I thank The Kangaroo House for helping me with transportation for my new job. A little help that will change our lives in a lasting way. Thank you for existing to support parents. Your organization is truly the only one I know that recognizes the great need of parents to receive the support that is so essential so that we can give the best to our children. Your assistance is essential. Thank you to everyone who contributes to a world where parents are not left totally to their own devices, exhausted, overloaded and trying to make ends meet.

We landed on October 7th in Canada and requested a refugee file. We submitted our file, but we had a lot on our trip, food and hotel rooms. We no longer had money left to feed the family. I called many social organizations and fortunately The Kangaroo House agreed to help us.

Josée is the lady we spoke to. First, she listened to us and then helped us to relocate temporarily in a hotel room. Then we were given a food voucher to survive until our demand was treated. She also guided us through information about work and how to survive here in Canada. I am really grateful to The Kangaroo House for helping us in this moment of crisis. I really appreciate Josée efforts towards my family.

Thank you

I wanted to thank from the bottom of my heart The Kangaroo House who responded to our call for help for me and my partner to have an emergency break. Being in a particularly difficult situation since the birth of our second child, we needed some time to recharge our batteries and The Kangaroo House was able to meet our needs. With this help, we will be able to have a moment to ourselves.

You will understand that with two children with precarious health conditions and between two hospitalizations it is very difficult to allow ourselves time for ourselves in order to decompress, but with the financial assistance received we will be able to have access to a period of care for our two children.

Thank you a thousand times!

I was referred to Josee and The Kangaroo House for assistance from the social worker. Shortly after the birth of my daughter, we learn that my husband has terminal cancer. The financial aid for groceries and diapers have helped us through this devastating time in our life.

Hello,

Thank you to The Kangaroo House for this beautiful gift! It was a special day that we enjoyed very much! Your generosity makes many people happy!

I would like to thank The Kangaroo House from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to spend an exceptional day, even the most beautiful day of our summer. Thanks also to Voiles en Voiles, everything was simply perfect!

I asked for financial assistance from The Kangaroo House to help me with the repairs of my car, because times are difficult and the cost of living is very expensive at the moment. I separated not very long ago from the mother of my two beautiful children, unfortunately it no longer worked and for the good of our children. I am taking the time to write a few words to thank you for your help. I will be grateful all my life for this beautiful gesture.

I would like to thank you for this wonderful gesture of financial support. I am a single mother of a wonderful little golden princess and it’s not always easy right now with the cost of living. Your advice goes straight to my heart. Thank you for creating The Kangaroo House, an extraordinary organization.

I thank The Kangaroo House for its help with school supplies and its support through the challenges of being a single parent. Thank you Josée, because you see the most beautiful in every parent. You empower us and help us cultivate the confidence to be better for our children.

Hello, I was lucky to have help from The Kangaroo House to pay a milk-feeding bill for my daughter Zoey. Madame Fortin is incredibly kind, with a soft and reassuring tone of voice. Again, a huge thank you for your help.

Thank you very much for your generosity towards our family even if you didn’t know us at all. You helped us and we can’t thank you enough for that.

You put smiles on my children’s faces and just for that, it’s worth all the gold in the world. Again a big thank you for everything.

Fortunately, The Kangaroo House exists. We are a family with three children and for more than two months we have unfortunately been living the impact of the housing crisis. We are forced to live from Airbnb to Airbnb due to the situation. We have spent disastrous sums of money and here we are at the end of all our solutions. We had to contact The Kangaroo House and in less than 24 hours Madame Fortin returned our call.

She helped us by finding us accommodation while we recharge our batteries and find solutions. A huge thank you to The Kangaroo House and believe me, we can’t tell you enough. xxx

I would like to say thank you to La Maison Kangourou for all you do for me. It is amazing thank you very much. I am a single parent and I can assure you that I have a lot of difficulties at times. The prices are only increasing due to inflation and it enormously affects the families already in difficulty. Luckily there is The Kangaroo House. They are there to help us, they take the time with people and we feel listened to. They are human, kind and so caring. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to The Kangaroo House and a thank you to Josée Fortin.

thank you very much for your help. We are very grateful thank you very much The Kangaroo House.

Talking to Madame Fortin was the best thing I had to do. Thanks to his expertise and his humanism, this allowed me to be strong. With her journey, she gave me the strength, the courage and the tools for my own plans for my future.

I am a newly single parent. La Maison Kangourou allowed us to overcome a difficult month. The donation of mattresses and goods helped greatly as well as an action plan for my future projects.

Thank you for everything.

I received a wonderful call from Josée from La Maison Kangourou who listened to me and advised me as best as possible with a heart of gold.

I got help feeding my 4 year old son and she opened doors for me to subsidized apartment rentals.

I am really happy with all the solutions she has given me and which will help me move forward in my efforts. I recommend Maison Kangourou not only for answers but above all for the attention it offers you.

Thank you cordially from a dad and a 4-year-old boy.

Thank you for your support.

I was going to give birth soon and I was alone. I needed someone to look after my eldest while I was in the hospital for labor.

The CLSC nurse gave me the name of The Kangaroo House knowing my current situation. I contacted Josée who offered me funds for my oldest child’s daycare for my hospital stay and my recovery. She also offered me an amount for diapers for the first month of my newborn. It helped me a lot during this period.

On the phone with Josée, I was touched by what she has been doing to help other mothers for 12 years. She comforted me with her warm and positive words. I hope that all of us who receive help from her can pass on the kindness to others who are in dire need of it.

I want to thank the Kangaroo House for the help that I received. I am a mother of 4 children who is experiencing difficulties related to a situation of domestic violence. I have just obtained housing with the OMHM but I have nothing left and I am starting from scratch.

I have no appliances (oven, fridge, washer and dryer), I have no bed or mattress for me and I have no clothes for me and my children. I don’t have any lingerie either (towels, sheets). I have no toys for my child.

Thank you to The Kangaroo House for your support.

I would specifically like to thank the Kangaroo House for the help and less stress they offer us, by helping us financially to stay with our 3-month-old little boy who has been hospitalized in St-Justine since birth.

We who live 2 hours’ drive from Montreal, we greatly appreciate being housed at The Manoir and having the chance to be alongside our little love!

Without The Kangaroo House we would surely not have this incredible opportunity. Knowing that our boy still has 3 to 4 months of hospitalization, we are most grateful to them and we will be eternally indebted for this great opportunity offered to us.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you make a big difference in people’s lives.

Hello,

A huge thanks to The Kangaroo House for the financial assistance for my rent. My wife is pregnant and I had to stop working to be a caregiver because my little guy was diagnosed with a rare disease which is spinal muscular atrophy type 2.

He must follow a treatment that requires us to be in complete isolation for 6 weeks. As I am the only income provider in the house, the big help from La Maison Kangourou has taken a huge amount of stress off us and we can now put all of our energy towards my son!

Our most sincere thanks from the entire Séguin family.

It’s not always easy to ask for help. I think we have to dare.

I would like to thank Ms. Josée Fortin, founder and director of The Kangaroo House, for being a great listener and also for the help provided when we needed it.

We are parents of 3 young children and we are going through a difficult time. I am currently off work due to an injury and my spouse is missing a lot of work due to his mental health. So I contacted the organization. Josée, with whom I spoke on the phone, is such a wonderful person who takes our children to heart and supports our little families who have to face unexpected challenges.

thank you so much

Hello,

Hello, thank you very much for your help. We are very grateful thank you very much the kangaroo house. It’s a great support from you thank you again.

CD

Thank you to The Kangaroo House and especially to Josée, for agreeing to help me in my bad budget management and making sure to get back on top with her inexhaustible generosity for all!! Her heart, I can tell you that she has it in the right place.

Thank you again and again!!xx

Dear Maison Kangourou,

God bless you and I hope that you will continue to grant this blessing to other mothers like me.

L and L

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

F. Family

Hello,

Thanks again to The Kangaroo House!

C.L.

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Hello,

Thank you again, you are a very precious partner for our families!

Hello Josée,

I would like to thank the Kangaroo House for making such a great Christmas for my family! I am a single mother with 5 children who was in desperate need for an emergency help. I was so grateful when I was offered a 2 night stay at a hotel! This came in perfect timing and was a great change of scenery which allowed me to relax and have fun with my children. We had access to the indoor pool and my children had a blast. I really appreciate all that you did for us.

I want to thank you for giving my family such a wonderful gift. We really enjoyed ourselves. I cannot tell you how happy they were and I am sure they will remember this occasion for ever.

Hello,

Good day !

I had to take the happiness of my family in hand. A rough patch shooked our joy and I refused to accept it. When, fifteen minutes later ?? the luggage were done, I contacted The Kangaroo House to share my idea with them. Having been in contact with them for a while now, without hesitation, I was encouraged to go and even offered to help me with accommodation. The magic had just operated : the help that The Kangaroo House was giving us for the hotel, combined with finding a « discount » site, made it possible to transform our disappointment for giving up the karting track that we had dreamed so much about and the fabulous climb of the Skylon Tower in reality! It is with a light heart, filled with gratitude and eyes sparkling with joy that we salute the fabulous and devoted work of The Kangaroo House, without which many « breathless » families would remain breathless and discourage…

Good day,

I would like to thank The Kangaroo House for the hotel stay I spent with my little kiddos. It allowed me to rest. A big thank you for your support which is very much appreciated.

To whom it may concern,

This is to testify to the help, advice and listening offered to our family by The Kangaroo House. Last fall, Mrs. Fortin, through The Kangaroo House, helped us obtain food aid (groceries at Metro), donated La Ronde tickets for me, my spouse and my disabled daughter. In addition, she listens, helps and advises us when we are going through more difficult times, both on a family and financial level. Our family is very grateful for all that Kangaroo House has given us and continues to give us…

Good day,

Thank you for the support you gave me after the domestic violence. You offered me your services in the past because I was out of breath…(I was hiding domestic violence from everyone.) The CLSC Saint-Michel in Montreal had told me about your emergency centre. I wanted to take my son there to help me get back on my feet and make a game plan to deal with this violence and also with my health. You had told me that your house had suffered a disaster and that you were no longer taking children, except that you never gave up the situation! You had offered me a night in a hotel with my son, which I did.

Hello to you Josée,

This morning I am writing to give you my testimony about your services that you have offered me so well over time and still today. At first it was when I separated from the father of the children. I was living with psychological, physical and financial violence! I had to leave Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean to relearn how to live and give my children security! In 2012, I went to the city of Montreal to a house of abused women to put my children in safety! We had to learn to live again and above all to gain confidence in people around us. This is easy to say, but very difficult to do, I promise you!!

Hi,

We were living in a very difficult family situation with a lot of tension and little fun. We contacted The Kangaroo House because we needed help and a break. We spoke at length with Josée Fortin, founder of The Kangaroo House, who listened to us, understood us and gave us her enormous moral support…

Thanks !

Many thanks to The Kangaroo House. Thank you for giving me a nice night at the hotel, allowing me and my boy to have a break from the routine, sometimes very difficult to manage with my son having some special needs. I am a single mother who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis almost ten years ago. We had a nice evening together and then my boy was able to do a different activity that he enjoyed. It was a good time for me because our daily lives are not always easy.

Hello,

I would like to thank Madame Fortin for this generous offer of emergency support, which has done my daughter and me a lot of good. We were able to recharge our batteries in nature, see the sunset, walk in the fields by the water and see some deers.

Here are some pictures of our stay!

Hey,

During a series of unhappy news, I could not see the end. My social worker from the Agertour program told me about The Kangaroo House. I called not knowing what to expect, but I was able to chat with Ms. Josée Fortin who not only listened to me, but helped with what I was going through and what was happening in the family. I must admit that with the current situation (Covid-19), every organization was closed or at least most of them, but she offered me to stay at a hotel for my partner and our two daughters. It allowed us to get out of the routine and to relax. Yes, yes: RELAX. I was skeptical, but my daughters listened, no crisis, nada of the daily routine.

I am happy and blessed to have been able to enjoy this stay.

Thank you for your attention!

It felt good!

Here are some photos taken during a night at the hotel with the children. I will try to relax and situation.

Hi,

My story is not that simple, neither the most dramatic. However, in all circumstances, a separation is a difficult period where humans, young and old live a great vulnerability.

M.A.

A mother for babysitting fees

Thank you for giving us a break by paying a babysitter. It really helped us a lot at a time when there was an emergency for my health. The support of The Kangaroo House is worth all the gold.

Fortunately there are still people like Josée Fortin who really want to help parents in the difficult situations they encounter.

Hello,

Thank you for your help, know that you have helped me much more than you think … Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your listening, your support and your help.

Good day,

I had to go to the hospital, but I really had a big problem there for my little girls. Oh my God. I will not forget your help for me and my daughters. You really have a vocation to help.

We adore you.

Hello,

Thank you for giving us a break by paying a babysitter. It really helped us a lot at a time when there was an emergency with my health.The support of The Kangaroo House is worth more in a moment that I have received no help! Fortunately there are still people like Josée Fortin who really want to help parents in the difficult situations they encounter.

Hello,

Hello Ms. Fortin,

Congratulations on your initiative. Many parents need support and I found your initiative an excellent way to support and protect children.

Kind regards, I.P.

Hello,

I wanted to thank Josée and The Kangaroo House for allowing me to go and relax with my partner and two of my eight children (those who still stay with us, the others being older). I really needed to rest and to go out from the house and you allowed me to do that. With eight children and 7 grandchildren and a 14 year old autistic child, it is not always easy. I am always available to help my children, but the accumulation meant that I too needed help and rest. Thanks to you I was able to benefit from a rest and thank you very much for your help.

Thank you

Marie Julie

Hello Josée Fortin,

I am sending you beautiful energies to gather what you need for this work. Feel free to call us for human resources.
Special Education Technique Teacher at Cégep du Vieux-Montréal Responsible for coordinating internships 2 and 3

K.L.

 Dear Mrs Fortin,

I don’t know how to start thanking you for last weekend. It meant a lot to me and my son. First of all, The Kangaroo House is impressive and welcoming but I didn’t expect that the attention and love shared at this home was going to be so huge. Sunday night, I found my son in peace, talking a lot and happy. He was proud to show me his toys and friends. He was acting like he was at our house. Before leaving, he gave Mrs Louise a big hug and has even cried when he saw his friend (another cute little boy) entering another car, instead of leaving with us. And the mother…I was able to rest and take care of me and take care of the house that I share with my son. I was really tired! I realized that when I was trying to wake up from a 2-hours nap and my body was really heavy and I couldn’t move my hands! Nevertheless, no worries, I quickly regained my strength ?

Thank you so much for everything!

C.C.

Hello,

I just read about your project in La Presse. Congratulations on this great initiative.

The school Virage

S.F.

Hello Ms. Fortin,

I am a social worker working in a CLSC and I heard about your resource on television. I take this opportunity to congratulate you on this valuable initiative; our families are in dire need of this kind of resource. Bravo again Ms. Fortin and have a good day.
Social Worker

J.B.

Hello Josée,

I work as a specialist in the Directorate of Student Behavior in the the Montreal English School Board, and has done so for 18 years. I read with great interest the article in The Gazette this morning from the Kangaroo House. What a wonderful idea. Finally! I always asked myself why we do not have anything to address the needs of families who cope with difficulty (on a temporary basis) and need a little help with their kids, to get through the daily obstacles. Good luck with what appears to be a wonderful and much needed project!

L.R.

This idea is fantastic!

This morning at LCN, I heard for the first time about this Kangaroo House project and I want to congratulate you about it. I don’t know who had the idea but I’m sure it will respond to a request increasingly evident in our society.
Several years ago I would have liked to have the support of a Kangaroo House. Since it did not exist, I had to deal with pain and misery, but I managed. I have two children who are now teenagers and I am very proud of them.

Long life to your project,

Sincerely, N.

Urgent need for a respite !

I have an urgent and growing need respite for a few days. However, I have no money and I come from the South Shore. I’m alone with my little girls. I am experiencing depression with a borderline personality diagnosis. My parents are exhausted, and despite my repeated requests for about a month, they are unable to help me. I’ve been sick for three weeks and now I can’t stand myself or the children… I’m too tired!!! I admire your courage and initiative. When it will get better for me, it will be my turn to start something similar on the south shore! The need is there and there is not enough services available, especially for the single parents. We must act before tragedies or separations mother / children or father / children happen. I sincerely believe that there is not enough light on the single parent situation.

Thank you!
V.V.

Hello,

I am aware of the existence of The Kangaroo House since I read about it in a newspaper article. Let me give you a quick picture of my situation. I am a single mother of three children of 3, 6 and 8 years old. I am separated from the father since March 2010. The father is completely absent; the children see him three hours on Saturday in a supervision center. He doesn’t pay for child support (despite several judgments) and I work 30 hours a week. My family is in France and I don’t have any help here. In short, I am tired, exhausted… I need a break…

Sincerely, L.

Hello Ms. Fortin,

I found your Website while reading a story on the Guy Turcotte trial and I was touched by your idea of the need for children to have a safe haven when their parents are incapable of doing so. Several years ago, I found myself in a similar situation while going through an extremely painful and emotional separation from my husband. My children were around 9 and 10 at the time and I did not have the energy for anything beyond providing the most basic necessities. I was fortunate that my parents came to my house a few times a week so that I could cry, sleep, walk, take a bath and try to recover and they hugged, bathed, loved my children when I could not do so fully. I was also seeing a psychologist once a week to help me to identify and cope with my anger, disappointment, resentment and a lot of other feelings – especially when my husband would drive up in his shiny new car with his rich girlfriend to pick up my children and enjoy the weekend in Mont-Tremblant. Now, with much hard work and determination, I am in a very good place! My children are both excellent students; my son is in university and my daughter in Cégep. I work at an amazing company, I have good people in my life and I volunteer often to give back a bit of my good fortune. I would like to have more information about the volunteering opportunities that you have available and how I may be able to help with either the children, the parents or in administration. I look forward to hearing back from you,

Best Regards D.

Hello,

During a more difficult time seeking help and support, I was fortunate enough to have on my path an exceptional lady, Mrs. Josée Fortin from The Kangaroo House, who took the time to listen to me and reassure me. Without knowing her, she became my friend. I know that at any time, I can call her and with empathy she will listen to me without judging me. She also gave me a gift to take my mind off things that I really needed: a night at the Super 8 for me and my daughter. My daughter was so happy! I hope that people who can, will help this organization that I believe can make all the difference in the life of a family in crisis, no matter what the state of the crisis.

Thank you again a thousand times to The Kangaroo House for the support you have given me.

A.M.

Josée Fortin,

I’d like to share my experience in regards of the help I got from the Kangaroo House.I am a single mother of a 5 and a half years old boy. I’m alone since his young age to provide. I also have to see to all his educational needs and I don’t have much support from his father and my family. Sometimes I get really exhausted and I rarely get the chance to recover. Even when I’m sick, I don’t get any help and to my opinion it is inhumane not to rest when we’re so unwell that, against our will, we have to stay in bed. Holidays during the holiday season should be a time for the parents to have fun and to be able to rest after all the hard work accomplished throughout the year. Unlike what people think it is a very different story for a single parent because we have no one to take over. It was a winter evening, I remember and will always remember, January 2nd … I was in a state of total exhaustion. With the help of a friend who had referred me to The Kangaroo House, I was able to call the organization at the moment when I needed it the most. The person who answered greeted me and I felt compassion for what I was experiencing. With her comforting words and listening, I felt relieved that I was not alone in the world. I was lucky enough to receive the services of this extraordinary organization. Therefore I was able to rest and then have a better quality of life with my son.

Thank you.

 P.L.

Hello,

We hereby wish to offer our support at the request of Ms. Josée Fortin, Executive Director of the Kangaroo House.

The interdisciplinary team of La Maison Bleue of Saint-Michel, affiliated with the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, offers reception services, psychosocial services and pregnancy follow-up to pregnant women and families living difficult life situations. Indeed, the majority of our families are experiencing great financial precariousness, precarious migratory situations, a lack of access to government programs (daycare, family allowances) and, above all, significant social isolation.

Recently, we were able to count on the support of the Kangaroo House to help a single mother who had to go to the hospital to give birth and could not bring her three-year-old son with her. Unfortunately, with no network, friends or family in Montreal and a very low income, she had to find someone to look after her son during the delivery and the days of hospitalization. Fortunately, the Kangaroo House was able to offer emergency financial assistance so that she could pay for a babysitter to care for the child.

Unfortunately, the situation described above is a reality at La Maison Bleue of Saint-Michel and other organizations as well. Without this help, you will understand that our client would have been left without resources.

We are very grateful and relieved that an organization such as the Kangaroo House exists and that we can have such a good cooperation from Mrs. Josée Fortin in circumstances such as the one we have just described. It is without a doubt an essential organization for families in difficulty and for the network partners working with vulnerable clienteles.

Sincerely, on behalf of the entire team at La Maison Bleue of Saint-Michel,

F.D.

Hello Mrs,

We are The Re-Source, a support and shelter house for women victims of domestic violence with or without children. The women who use our services sometimes need more support than the services we provide. This is why the services of The Kangaroo House are essential. Moms occasionally need some break time, without worrying about the safety of their children. So that they can take a little break to regain their strength.

The emergency respite of your home gives this chance to women, in their process of regaining power. Domestic violence is a dynamic that takes place in private, which has a huge impact on women as well as children. Together we can make that difference for them.

Thank you

N. & Jennifer-Ann

Good day, 

As an intervention worker at the Montreal CAVAC, I wanted to underline the close collaboration I had with The Kangaroo House resource. I intervened with a father who was victim of a criminal act. He was no longer safe and had few resources and urgently needed to be relocated with his child. The resource was able to respond to our emergency request by sending him to a hotel for a few days. This allowed him to take steps while remaining in a safe place.

Thank you very much for this collaboration and we look forward to working with you again!   

J.N.

Hi,

Being a parent is not always easy. While we can have wonderful family moments, there may be special events or circumstances that lead us to be out of ressources. At these times, it is important to be able to continue to ensure the safety and well-being of our children. The Kangaroo House can be a great support. It offers emergency and front-line services to children whose parents experience temporary problems.

F.D.

Hello,

It was very important for me to take a moment to thank The Kangaroo House for the support and help they offered to a mother and her son, victims of crime, with whom we had the pleasure to intervene. While all the shelters were at full capacity, they offered a night at the hotel to this very vulnerable family. Their kindness and sensitivity quickly put this mother in confidence and allowed them to have a safe place to spend the night.

The Kangaroo House is a precious support to families and vulnerable people living in particularly difficult situations. Their intervention with this family made all the difference.

A big thank you from the entire team at the Montreal Crime Victims Assistance Center.

Véronique Jeandupeux
Criminologue
Intervenante
CAVAC de Montréal

In April 2021, I was called to help a woman victim of domestic violence who was in the presence of her young daughter. She did not have any family or friends who could come and support her (accommodation / financially). I had almost exhausted all resources for women when I managed to speak to Ms. Fortin about the Kangaroo House. I had never heard of this resource before. I was surprised to see how much they assisted me in finding temporary accommodation for my victim as well as follow-up to relocate her on a more permanent basis afterwards.

I would like to thank Ms. Fortin and the Kangaroo House for their collaboration which enabled me to support my victim, who did not feel alone during the process. In addition, I would like to thank Ms. Fortin for supporting me throughout my intervention. Furthermore, I can confirm to you that my victim was extremely grateful to have been able to benefit from your services.

I would not hesitate to contact you in the future if I ever have a similar situation that arises because you have made a difference.