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Finally, she's up the River with a Paddle

Restaurant helps woman get ahead, gain skills, and experience

Sabrina Nobrega has a job, lives in her own apartment, puts food on the table and even has wheels — an old bike — to get her where she needs to go. For the first time in a long time, the petite 25-year-old says she's in a happy place. Things haven't always been so rosy since she moved to Toronto from the suburbs five years ago.

Living with relatives in the city didn't work out. Neither did going to school. Before she knew it, Nobrega found herself on the streets. With no money and nowhere else to go, she sought refuge in youth shelters. "A shelter isn't a fun place," she said. "You meet a lot of nice people, but conditions inside aren't always great."

What Nobrega hated even more was relying on welfare. "I was just hanging out and not progressing," she said of those dark days, adding she knew the only way out was to take responsibility for her destiny, find a job and make it on her own. Easier said than done.

Like so many homeless young people, she had no training and no skills. Just as hope was running out, her fortune changed. Back in June, she ran into one of her street buddies, who told Nobrega about River. It's a popular west-end restaurant with a social conscience offering customers fabulous fare while providing on-the-job training for homeless and high-risk young people — former addicts, onetime sex trade workers or young women like Nobrega who'd fallen on hard times. Most were high school dropouts and, in the eyes of many, lost causes. River led them to a new course.

The chic Roncesvalles Ave. eatery is run by All-A-Board Youth Ventures Inc. The non-profit agency operates the for-profit restaurant and helps the needy stand on their own two feet by providing transitional employment for 18- to 25-year-olds. They learn new skills and get practical experience at the restaurant before moving on to other jobs.

"We believed if we could provide an opportunity, care and support, their fortunes could change," executive director Tom Freeman said, noting about 220 young people have worked at River and the charity's carpentry business, the Wood Shop, since All-A-Board was established in 1998.

It's experiential learning at its best, said Jennifer LaTrobe, managing director at All-A-Board. The key to River's success is a supportive environment where every employee is an integral part of the team. "These young people have a lot of desire and want to get on with their lives. They just don't know how," LaTrobe said.

At any given time, 14 young people from across the city are working at River. Their jobs vary according to what they want to do. Some wait tables or work in the kitchen. Others wash floors or dishes. They're paid minimum wage; supervisors earn more. Nobrega said that the hardest part of the job was learning to uncork a bottle of wine.

What's the best part? "I work with a good bunch of people and I'm very happy here," she said. "Being here and having a job is much better than being on welfare."

Last year, River received support from the United Way of Greater Toronto through the Toronto Enterprise Fund. The money helped cover renovation and expansion costs. This year the United Way's fundraising goal is $94.5 million to support its 200 member agencies.

Adapted from an article in Toronto Star, October 7, 2005, by Leslie Ferenc.
Photo by Stuart Nimmo/Toronto Star