A new face has been announced to head up a Collingwood non-profit.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood, we sat down with Steven Pelletier, 39, the new executive director of Home Horizon.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I was born and raised in Victoria Harbour. I’ve bounced between Midland and Victoria Harbour basically my whole life.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to get involved in the non-profit sector?
A: 2011.
I was a computer technician for about 10 years. That was my original education background.
It was a great position for me because I love to exercise my brain and discipline working in computers and technology, but this moment came where I felt I could do more with my time.
I decided to re-educate. I got into the not-for-profit sector.
I started as a front-line worker at the Georgian Bay Native Friendship Centre. I did outreach, working in housing, homelessness and basic-needs provision.
Q: You most recently worked as chief executive officer of The Guesthouse Shelter and Community Hub in Midland. What led up to you taking on that position?
A: Around 2011 to 2013, I created my own personal mission statement, which is to help as many people as humanly possible.
I re-educated myself again, to get into non-profit management specifically.
I like to organize things. When I was a kid and would play with Lego, I would sift through to find that one perfect piece.
Q: What made you want to make the jump from managing an emergency shelter, to managing Home Horizon, which is primarily a transitional program for youth?
A: I had some experiences at the emergency shelter where I would see youth come through the doors. We offered a lot of programming there, but you can’t force people to accept the help.
I would watch some youth accept that help and move on from the shelter, and there’s been other times where I’ve seen them conform to street life.
Part of my interest in coming to Home Horizon was actually just working for youth. It’s a super pivotal moment in someone’s life. These decisions can really set the course for the next 10 or 20 years of their lives.
What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to intercept homelessness. We’re trying to provide service and opportunities to youth who might be heading down that road.
Coming to Home Horizon means I can have this impact on people where they’re at a pivotal moment. I really like what the organization does and I love their mission.
Q: What do you hope to bring to the table, coming from working in the emergency shelter system?
A: Aside from what I bring from the emergency shelter system, I want to bring organization and solid leadership.
The board of directors here is very strong. I’d like to compliment them and find out what they need from me. I’d like to help the organization grow and evolve, and provide solid support to the organization and the youth we serve.
Q: Are you moving to Collingwood for the position?
A: No. I’ve decided to commute and the reason why is all my family and friends are in Victoria Harbour.
We also own a 40-acre farm that we’re not prepared to give up. (laughs)
The commute isn’t new to me, and it also gives me some off time. It means I have two hours a day where I can listen to music or a podcast. It’s great. I don’t mind it at all.
Q: What are your interests outside of the non-profit sector?
A: I’m an outdoors guy. When I’m home, you’ll find me out in the bush somewhere. I love being outside, driving around on four-wheelers, working with machines and chopping wood. (laughs)
I’m also a life-long musician, since I was five or six years old. I have some formal training, but I would also just sit at the kitchen table and play music.
I am married and have a young son, and I just love being at home with them.
That’s pretty much me in a nutshell.
If there’s anything people want to know about me, please communicate with me.
I’m new to this community and everyone I have connected with so far has been extremely welcoming. I’m super excited to work for this community.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every Saturday. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
