Testimonial

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.

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…

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Hello,

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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…

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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.

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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!!

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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.

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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.

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…

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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.

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!

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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.

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.

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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 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.

Hello,

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,

.

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 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.

 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 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.

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,

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

The school Virage

S.F.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

To whom it may concern,

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.