YMCA staff shine in aftermath of Men’s Residence blaze

On Monday, July 22, just before 12:30 in the afternoon, a fire broke out on the third floor of the Men’s Residence at the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA.  

What we thought would be ae quick evacuation for the men in our residence has quickly turned into a month. As some men finally return to their rooms, and the YMCA starts to return to regular operations for our members, we want you to hear stories of the July 22 fire from our Y Staff.

Phil

July 22 started like any other day for Phil. As a YMCA membership associate at the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA, Phil starts his day welcoming members and getting things organized at the front desk.

It was the last day for the next several weeks that Phil would be going in to work to do his regular job.

“The fire alarm went off around 1230 [in the afternoon] and I radioed to see if it was a fire drill or if it was the real deal,” says Phil.

“I was told it was real from the Men’s Residence. It was a little stressful, but we evacuated quickly and got things sorted out,” he says.  

After that Phil says his role shifted to helping the men with whatever they might need.

“We were going day by day, helping the residents with everything. We did shower services, helping with clothing, [handling incoming] donations, calls out to family and things like that.”

He says it’s been an interesting few weeks, but he’s grateful to have had the opportunity to help the men in a time of great need.

“Being able to respond in this situation is something I am thankful for.”

“I’m glad I have had this role; I’m glad I could help give these guys the help that they need.”

Adam

Adam is a housekeeping coordinator for the YMCA. He works at the downtown branch, overseeing the cleaning team, making sure all tasks are completed properly.  

When the fire broke out on July 22, he wasn’t working.

“I was at home. I didn’t even know what was going on.”

When Adam returned to work, he said it was chaotic.

“We had to figure things out as the day went by. It wasn’t the same usual routine.” [We were] asking what the [men] needed and cleaning up after them and seeing if we could do anything to help them out and make their day go by easier,” says Adam.

He adds that his work and the general feeling around the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA are getting back to a regular pace.

“I’m just glad to be back to normal a little bit, things are calming down a lot more.”

Lydia

Lydia wasn’t working the day of the fire. She hasn’t worked out of the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA for months, but when a fire broke out on the third floor of the Men’s Residence and the building was in the news, she got messages asking if she was okay.

“Until recently, downtown was my main base. I guess [my friend didn’t know] that I wasn't working in that building anymore, so they were very concerned for me.”

Lydia is a program coordinator for two YMCA programs—Y Mind and Be Wise. Y Mind is a free, youth mental wellness program; Be Wise is a prevention and awareness program for at risk youth.

“I saw the article and [I realized] this is actually happening. You could see images of the fire trucks lined up outside and the uncertainty,” says Lydia.

Source: https://x.com/HamiltonFireDep/status/1815435335041437796

Lydia went to work out of her space at the YMCA Youth and Immigrant Services office at 25 Main Street on Friday, just a few blocks away from the Men’s Residence at 79 James Street. That’s when Lydia felt the true impact of the catastrophe.

“It’s just down the street from 79 James. For some reason in my mind, I just thought ‘it's the Y, we are going to bounce back, it's just a fire, we're going to figure it out.’”

“You start talking to people who have been interacting with the residents, who have been helping since day one... [I realized] there's a lot more that needs to be done,” she says.

Lydia was motivated to help and signed up to volunteer. The following week she was helping with meals, speaking with residents, and answering the phones.  

And while she had passed many of the residents in the hallways before—waving hello or holding a door open for one another—this experience deepened her understanding of them.

“Hearing different stories...of how [the residents] end up where they are, but also their mentality that this sucky thing happened to them, but you can still see the light in their eyes and still see them moving forward in the most positive ways possible.”

“I have developed a lot of respect for some of them. It really humbled me to see just how human they are and how they are such wonderful human beings.”

Manny

When a blaze broke out at the YMCA Men’s Residence, the Y leadership team had to act fast. As the President & CEO of the YMCA Hamilton | Burlington | Brantford, getting the men to safety was always our top priority.  

“It was quite a traumatic day. Emergency crews came in and we were just trying to get 173 men out of the building. Thank goodness there were no casualties.”  
 

Then, the situation went into crisis response mode. The Health, Fitness and Aquatics Centre and the Newcomer Youth Centre were quickly closed. The Canadian Red Cross came in, bringing cots, blankets and pillows for the men to have a place to rest. Goodwill and The United Way also provided clothing, shoes, and linens.

“At the end of day one, we had over 100 people sleeping in our health and fitness areas. Cots were spread out in the gym, squash courts, and community rooms.”  

Manny says the first five days were hectic as they worked to find alternative accommodations for the residents.  

“It was critical to try to get things restored and to try to see how we could support the men to access some of their contents.”  

Manny says it was important to try and help the men meet their basic needs during this difficult time. Although the Y doesn’t typically offer food services for the Men’s Residence, with the help of donors across the city, the YMCA was able to provide meals for the men temporarily staying in the fitness centre. Meals were donated by Second Helpings Catering, Carmen’s Group, Mission Services, Hamilton Food Share, Sweet Paradise Bakery, The Salvation Army, The Good Shepherd, Zarky’s, Fortino’s Ancaster, and more.  

On August 2, the men on the second floor were able to return to their rooms, but because smoke rises, it will take a little more time before residents can return on the fourth and fifth floors.  

“I don't think a lot of people realize that people on the third, fourth, and fifth floors lost, most, if not all, of their belongings.”  

To date, The YMCA has been able to raise over $164,000 in response to the fire. Manny says it’s because of so many generous donors that the residents have been able to pick up some of the pieces of their lives.

“We really want to thank our donors for that—it's made all the difference to these men.”  

From donors to staff, Manny says he’s incredibly proud to be part of such a caring community.

“Titles don't matter in these situations, right?  In a crisis response, you do what needs to be done,” he says.  

“Supporting with food and clothing, helping the men get their belongings, making phone calls to family and loved ones, working overnight shifts to support security. I was so proud.”  

“But that's the YMCA way, right?”