My name is Aldo Cianfarani

My name is Aldo Cianfarani and I live in supportive housing run by Habitat Services.

As you can guess from my name, I am Italian. How many Italians are out there? Raise your hands. I was born in Italy and immigrated to Canada at the age of 2 along with my parents and two sisters. My grandparents were living here and we moved in with them. We lived in the Lansdowne/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 Pizza to help out the family. After my father got out of the hospital, 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 I still do. I began to be depressed and even tried suicide. I also had problems dealing with my anger. Family members told me to be strong.

For 33 years 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 Disc Jockey in nightclubs. I did weddings, banquets, baptisms, engagements, disco dances and house parties for 25 years. And yes, I did have a lot of fun. In 1981, I played for a young baby's christening party. To my surprise I met him recently and he is a grown young man and even taller than I am.

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, an agency that mainly serves Italian immigrants. They were able to find me a place to live in one of Habitat's boarding homes where I still live.

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 drugs or booze anymore and I now have a lot of friends.

I also enrolled in a course and have received my anger management certificate. I am proud to say that I have been sober for seven years.

At 50, 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 four years where I volunteer as a cook. I was also introduced to COTA, who were very nice to me and asked me to be on a committee. I am also on the Board of Habitat Services and serve on threestanding committees.

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

Thank You.