Leoné Westby

Leoné Westby came to Canada in 1987 from Dublin, Ireland.  Leoné immigrated in 1987 and became a Canadian citizen in 1993.  She worked in donut shops; she worked with St. Leonard’s Society as an addictions counselor and at the same time as a counselor with Mission Services of London - Rotholme.  Leoné kept herself busy with Quality Care Nursing as a personal care worker; Middlesex Addiction (MAISE) as an addictions counselor and the Executive Director; Niigwin as a life skills teacher/counselor; on the streets under an eight (8) month contract with the Aids Committee of London with street people educating and interacting on safer needle use and safer sexual behaviours to help alleviate the AIDS epidemic of the early 1990’s and volunteered with the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre,.  In 1991 Leoné started an agency working with street youth called STREET CONNECTION.

STREET CONNECTION opened it’s doors as dropin centre for homeless hardcore street youth at 343 Richmond Street, London, Ontario on August 21, 1991 with a grand total of $5 through the dedicated and visionary efforts of it’s founder Leonè Westby and the assistance of Donna Irving.  These two women begged and borrowed couches, chairs, paint, kitchen utensils, etcetera, but unfortunately STREET CONNECTION was forced to vacate the Richmond building due to water damage caused by a fire in an apartment on the fourth floor of the building after three weeks of operation.

The Children's Aid Society of London and Middlesex leased for $1 per month, while paying the utilities, to STREET CONNECTION with the AIDS COMMITTEE OF LONDON (A.C.O.L.) on October 10th, 1991, a building at 584 Talbot Street, previously a group home of the Children's Aid Society.  Leoné’s eight (8) month contract with A.C.O.L. was completed and A.C.O.L. was no longer involved.

Dick Rastin

Dick Rastin, assistant executive director (1991-1999) arrived at STREET CONNECTION on October 23, 1991 and had STREET CONNECTION incorporated and set up as a non-profit registered charitable organization.

The building at 584 Talbot Street was sold in July of 1992, to a luggage retail outlet store, by the Children's Aid Society due to a shortfall in their municipal funding.  STREET CONNECTION had it's Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations LETTRS PATENT issued on March 19th, 1992 and incorporated as Ontario Corporation Number 968370 through the kind assistance of Barry Cleaver (lawyer) and Renè Zwinkels (chartered accountant).

STREET CONNECTION approached the City of London for municipal funding.  The Corporation of the City of London agreed to pay an upset amount of $8,100 to be used for 3 months rent on a property located at 177A Dundas Street between Clarence and Richmond Streets.  STREET CONNECTION declined the upset amount and choose to use it's time to strengthen it's Board of Directors, train volunteer staff, and to obtain Registered Charitable Status (August 6th, 1992) through the knowledgeable assistance of Members of Parliament Tom Hawkins and Joe Fontana, while searching for a new long term physical location.  The Downtown Business Association (DBA) of London agreed to donate $2,000 to STREET CONNECTION contingent upon STREET CONNECTION not locating in the downtown core.  We eventually found our current and great location at 258 Horton Street, just outside the downtown core.  The DBA came through with their much needed donation.

The biggest problem in finding a new location for our street youth was Not-In-My-Back-Yard Syndrome (N.I.M.B.Y.).   A ten year lease agreement was signed in February of 1993 for a building at 258 Horton Street, London, Ontario between STREET CONNECTION (Tom McInerney, Chair of the Board of Directors for STREET CONNECTION) and a private citizen.

The block building is two storey, with approximately 1,200 square feet (112 square metres) on each floor. Work on the building continued for four years, (1993-1997).  The west wall was replaced and now is structurally sound.  The bottom concrete floor was removed and replaced with proper plumbing for washrooms, kitchen and laundry facilities and a utility room.  Many renovations took places; installing windows, doors, new roof, a used air conditioning and heating roof top unit, heating and cooling ducts, interior walls, desks, tables, chairs, couches, kitchen suite, washers and dryers, four bathrooms, open office concepts and much more.  The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) spearheaded the renovations of the centre, specifically Beth Wellman and Joanne Babinsky.  Individuals, unions and companies donated materials and labour to assist with the renovations (approximately $270,000.00) and operational costs of the centre.

In late October 1999, Leoné Westby, the founder of STREET CONNECTION stepped down as Executive Director and joined the Board of Directors.

In November 1999 Dick Rastin was appointed Executive Director.

Under the direction of Carolyn Ayre and Doreen Hodgkinson, Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors, in 2004, STREET CONNECTION obtained START Guide certification.  START Guide is a Corporation of the City of London initiative which sets the minimum standard for operating a youth agency in the City of London.

Under the direction of Michael Tremblay, Chair of the Board of Directors, in July of 2004, the Corporation of the City of London, through the Government of Ontario’s Homelessness Initiatives Fund and the Consolidated Homelessness Prevention Program funding has been provide for our Youth Advocate Program.

On April 28, 2005 the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation granted STREET CONNECTION funding to assist in acquiring title to our centre at 258 Horton Street, London, ON and to evaluate possible housing supports for our youth.

On July 15, 2005 STREET CONNECTION purchased it’s dropin centre and the land east of the building to Wellington Street with the help of very generous people and socially minded organization along with substantial capital funding from the Government of Canada through National Homelessness Initiative named Supporting Community Partnership Initiatives (SCPI). The Minister of Labour responsible for Homelessness at the time, MP Joe Fontana. Minister Fontana personally donated a new electric stove to our centre during this time.

STREET CONNECTION applied to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation and received charitable status, allowing municipal tax exemption at 258 Horton Street, London, Ontario as a direct result of working with impoverished homeless youth.

In May 2006 the Ontario Trillium Foundation granted STREET CONNECTION capital funding to make renovations to our centre to enhance and assist with the delivery of STREET CONNECTION programs.

There are many, many, many kind and socially concerned people, generous and corporately responsible businesses, dedicated and giving unions, fund-raising charitable service clubs and committed organizations who should be mentioned who have helped STREET CONNECTION over these many years.  They all know who they are and we are eternally grateful for your past and continued support.  We humbly thank you all.