A Place Called Home appoints Nicole Bryant as executive director

The board of directors of A Place Called Home (APCH) has announced the promotion of Nicole Bryant to the position of executive director.

Twenty-seven years ago, Bryant arrived at APCH for a student placement as part of her social services program at Canadore College. She never left. APCH was a fledgling homeless shelter, and Bryant was a teenager with a passion for those who have no place to call “home.” APCH and Bryant grew up together.

Serving as the manager of shelter and drop-in services over almost three decades, Bryant has become the face of the organization both to guests and clients and in the broader community. 

According to APCH founder Zita Devan, “Nicole’s years of dedication to A Place Called Home, combined with her compassion, leadership, and deep commitment to our mission, make her the ideal person to lead the organization into its next chapter.”

A Place Called Home serves individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County with a thirty-bed shelter, together with three transitional houses that provide deeply affordable housing to people on a path to housing security.

Bryant will take leadership in directing the agency to fulfill its strategic goals. These include enhancing housing options for those who experience homelessness and housing vulnerability, developing varied funding streams for the organization, finding compelling ways to tell the story of APCH, and assuring the excellence of APCH’s client-focused programming.

Board chair, Dr. Brian Walsh, says, “In an executive director we are looking for deep frontline experience, a clear understanding of a housing-first model of engaging homelessness, a commitment to justice, a proven ability to work collaboratively with multiple partners, a clarity of vision, and the moral character necessary to lead an organization committed to our most vulnerable neighbours. Nicole Bryant brings all of these qualities to this position.”