ALDO'S STORY

My name is Aldo Cianfarani and I used to live in supportive housing run by Habitat Services. Habitat Services provides homes for people with mental and physical disabilities. They also provide support and recreation events to the tenants.

As you can guess from my name, I am Italian. I was born in Italy and immigrated to Canada when I was 2 years old, along with my parents and two sisters. My grandparents were living here and we moved in with them. We lived in the St. Clair/Caledonia area of Toronto.

When I was 16, my father who worked in construction broke his leg in an accident. I had to leave school and go out to work making and delivering Pizzas and other odd job to help out the family. After my father got out of the hospital for one and a half years I would drive him back and forth to the therapist. Also around this time my mother passed away and when my father remarried I left home to live on my own.

The death of my mother was a key factor that brought on my mental illness as I missed her terribly and to this day I still miss her terribly. I had no hope. I began to be depressed and even tried suicide. I also had problems dealing with my anger. Family members told me to be strong.

At this time I was working as a DJ but had no place of address. The first day I was homeless I lay down on the grass -- it was nice and sunny. I closed my eyes to sleep, and all of a sudden it began to rain, so I went to the donut shop and stayed up all night.

After that my boss let me stay at his house rent-free – I was like a kid to him. But it was like I was hanging on by a string, and staying at his place was the only thing preventing me from falling. I lived at his place for 15 years until I had an argument him. At that point I went to work and live with my old boss, going back and forth between their homes for another 4 years.

Then I got on welfare and found my own apartment.

For the next while I tried to make a life of my own but each time I got ill I would lose my apartment and end up sleeping on park benches and in empty buildings. I was able to work as a freelance Disc Jockey, doing weddings, banquets, baptisms, engagements, disco dances, night clubs and house parties for another 6 years. But that work introduced me to drugs and booze which did not help my condition. I could not maintain a relationship and I was hospitalized several times. My life was going around in circles.

Once when I was evicted from an apartment, I was referred to COSTI, a housing agency that mainly serves Italian immigrants. They helped me find a place to live in one of Habitat's many boarding homes.

Finding a safe place to live where I felt I would not be evicted if I ended up in the hospital was an important part of my recovery. I don't do heavy street drugs anymore and I haven’t drank for over 12 years now. I even have more friends then ever before.

I also enrolled in a course and have received my anger management certificate.

And to this day I still MC at dances. And yes I still have a lot of fun. In 1981, I played for a young baby's christening party. I just met him recently and to my surprise he is even taller than me.

How many people out there have a pet?

I 2006 got a little kitten. When it was born it was born in the box spring of a mattress in my boarding home. My site support worker came over and checked the box spring. She put her hand in the mattress and pulled out a kitten and it went meow meow meow.

The second kitty she pulled out went meow. Meow. She pulled out a third kitten and it went meow meow meow.

The fourth kitten was the last one born – it was the runt of the family, though you wouldn’t know it to look at him now. But that day it opened its mouth and no meow. No sound came out. I took it to the vet he placed it on a table, put a flash light in its mouth and was shocked to find out that the cat vocal cords did not develop properly. The cat is mute. Voiceless.

When it tries to purr it doesn't sound like an outboard motor. I put my thumb on its throat and I can feel it vibrate.

I named the cat Vip-purr. (very important pet).

When I was homeless nobody heard my voice on the street. Most people would have seen me as damaged like my cat. With the supports I have gotten through the years I am now able to get in front of all of you, tell my story and be heard.

My little kitty Vip-purr has taught me about love, affection, and how to hear with my heart.

At 55, I never thought that starting life over would be so much fun. I have been a member of St. Christopher House's Community Kitchen for 9 years where I volunteer as a cook and I share my meals with my friends. I am also connected to COTA whose workers are still very supportive of my recovery. COTA is an agency which provides support to people who have mental health issues. I am also on the Board of Habitat Services and serve on 4 standing committees.

And I’m the proud guardian of three beautiful cats: Vip-purr, his female friend Cattiva – which means ‘bad girl’ in Italian – and their bad boy kitten Cattivo!

Supportive Housing has been an important part of my recovery. For me Life is sweet again.

Thank you.