Joel’s Story: Finding Safety, Purpose, and Community Through Reena
Joel Ashton Fogle will tell you exactly who he is — proudly. “I’m Autistic,” he says, “and I also live with bipolar disorder, a mild intellectual disability, arthritis and partial sight loss.” Born at 24 weeks, the youngest baby to survive at his hospital at the time, Joel has never let his story be defined by what’s hard.
What he needed was the right support.
That support came through Reena. After a serious mental health crisis brought Joel to hospital for five months, a social worker connected him and his mother with the Sandy Keshen Reena Residence. Reena supervisors came to visit him before he was even discharged. “Soon after, I was offered a safe place to live with 24-hour staff support,” Joel says. “That was the beginning of my recovery.”
From there, Joel built a life. He transitioned into a semi-independent unit alongside his best friend, where the two look out for each other daily. “We’ve got each other’s backs,” Joel smiles. “I help him with physical tasks, and he helps me stay organized. It’s teamwork.” He completed his ECE diploma, is now studying Autism and Behavioural Sciences and volunteers as a lived experience advisor for people with dual diagnoses. He even performed in Ragtime at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, a dream come true.
The Sandy Keshen Reena Residence is home — and family. “The staff treat us with respect and care,” Joel says. “My supervisor tells me she’s proud of me, just like my mum does. That means everything.”
“I’m proof that with the right support, people like me can thrive. I’m safe, I’m studying, I’m living my best life — because of Reena.”