A Positive Shift: Nacer’s Story

Nacer grew up in Algeria with his parents as an only child. He arrived in Montreal when he was 20 years old because he already knew French, and met his partner there. He moved to Vancouver after 12 years on the east coast and has lived here since. The last time that Nacer worked before coming to Mission Possible was in 2017 at an auction house, and previous to that, he did construction work.

While Nacer had known about Mission Possible prior to joining the program from living in the neighbourhood, it wasn’t until he was struggling to find a job and needed help with his resume that he was referred to MP and decided to check it out! Nacer shares, “I decided to start with Mission Possible first because I knew it’s not work full-time.” Having a part-time position and gradually returning to work was ideal for Nacer because he hadn’t worked for a long time, and has some trouble with back pain.

Looking back at his life before MP, Nacer notes that he didn’t interact with other people often, and he suffered from depression. However, since joining the Clean Team, Nacer has noticed a positive shift in his mood and an improvement in his communication with others. Now, he is creating long-lasting friendships with his colleagues, is more energetic, and has a structured day that still allows him the freedom to work on his personal life. “I feel good! I wake up at 6 in the morning now, but I still feel like I have more energy and I’m more open with people.”

On his routes, he loves that he gets to see new sights everyday and appreciates the acknowledgement he gets from residents and businesses in the area. Hearing that a lot of people are grateful for the work he does makes him happy and he now feels a deeper connection to his community. Nacer is extremely grateful for all the encouragement he has received from MP over the last six months. He was even awarded MP’s Employee of the Month Award in May. “I was so happy! It’s nice to have recognition for your efforts and be told you’re doing a good job.” Nacer has also been impressed with the wraparound support offered by our staff, and has received housing support with our in-house Housing Support Coordinator. He also regularly accesses the food from our community pantry.

Nacer is happy to share that he applied for and was the successful applicant for a Business Improvement Association cleaning route. He’s pleased to continue working with Mission Possible while still gaining more independence and responsibility as well as having a more stable schedule. Looking at his future, Nacer would like to move out of his studio apartment and find a more spacious one bedroom apartment. He is also planning to do some traveling, which is something he has not been able to do for more than 30 years. When the time comes to move on from Mission Possible, Nacer has learned that it’s important to him that his job offers him a fair work-life balance, and hopes to find a workplace that allows for that.