"Carinya house"

The first thing you notice about Jess at Carinya House isn’t her voice it’s her presence. Calm. Steady. Grounded. Like no matter what kind of day is unfolding, she’s already standing firmly in the middle of it, ready to help.

Jess is a support worker at Carinya House, and everyone here knows it. Not just because she wears the lanyard or carries the clipboard, but because she shows up every single day with patience, kindness, and quiet strength.

When I first arrived as a resident, everything felt uncertain. New place. New rules. New faces. I wasn’t sure where I fit or how I was going to move forward. Jess was one of the first people who sat down with me, not to lecture, not to judge,  just to listen.

She has this way of speaking that makes you feel heard. Polite, calm, respectful. But don’t mistake that kindness for softness , Jess doesn’t tolerate bad behaviour or people ignoring the rules. At Carinya House, structure matters. Respect matters. Recovery matters. And Jess makes that clear, not by raising her voice, but by standing firm. Fair is fair.

She helps with everything! housing applications, mentoring sessions, support plans, anxiety and depression, appointments, services. If someone needs guidance filling out forms, she’s there. If someone’s having a rough day and needs grounding, she’s there. If someone needs reminding of the house expectations, she’s there too.

What makes Jess different is that she doesn’t just “do her job.” She believes in us sometimes before we believe in ourselves.

There were days I wanted to give up. Days recovery felt too hard. But Jess would sit across from me and say, “Look how far you’ve come.” And she meant it. She helped me see progress I couldn’t see on my own. She pushed me when I needed pushing. Supported me when I needed steady ground. Held me accountable when I slipped.

Because of her support the mentoring, the guidance, the consistency I’ve grown. I’ve made progress in my recovery. I’ve started setting goals again. I’ve learned that rules aren’t there to control us  they’re there to protect the space where healing happens.

Carinya House is a building. But Jess helps make it a place of change.

I’m grateful for her for her patience, her fairness, her kindness, and the way she shows up for everyone, every day.

And I’m not the only one who sees it.

At Carinya House, when Jess is on shift, you can feel it.

Things feel possible.