Posted by ken on December 5, 2011 · Leave a Comment
“Rachel’s Gift is an 8 part series until December 23. To listen to the audio backgrounder, click: Rachel’s Gift episode 3 If you missed episodes go to ‘Recent Posts’ (right hand column).
So I was at a party and I saw my mom doing a line of coke and I was shocked. “Wuh? What are you doing?” and lost my mind and I started to party real hard. I was confused and concerned and kinda wondering all at the same time.
I really started to think. My mom was using a lot, and using more and drinking and using coke and I was wondering why this was so much better than your children, than loving your children – using coke that is.
I love my mom a lot, and I still do. Whatever it was about coke, it must be good. That’s what my thinking was. I did my first line of coke shortly after that. I was seventeen.
I had been living on my own, but one of the things that happened when I discovered coke was, I couldn’t pay my rent anymore. I moved in with my boyfriend and his mom. I worked a couple of places, but I was always going in hung over. I had to get out of that small town.
I moved to Ottawa and I moved in with my dad. I had nowhere else to go. I ended up meeting this guy that my dad introduced me to, which ended up being his crack dealer, and I started dating him. My Dad was doing a lot of crack then and I ended up paying the rent – or trying at least. I was working a bit, but I was partying hard at the same time. I don’t know why, but my dad really got mad at me. I mean, he was using all the time then, not working, making deals, and I guess he looked at me and couldn’t stand to see me doing what I was doing – with the drugs and all that.
I lasted three months and then got my eviction notice – signed by the mayor. They (the authorities) basically brought boxes, packed my stuff and moved me out. My brother was in jail, but his girlfriend had an extra room and I moved in with her.
By this time I was selling drugs big time with the guy that I met through my dad. Every day was the same – using more and more, all the time. I got busted and went to jail for a while.
When I got out of jail I had nowhere to go, I was just like floating around.
Next week: Rachel really does ‘hit the bottom’. More drugs, living on the streets, the crack house… the cycle continues with no apparent escape. What will happen next?
OIM does not receive on-going government funding to operate any of our programs, but instead we rely on the good will donations of concerned citizens and business owners in the National Capital Region. We need your help to continue our youth outreach program. Please make a donation today. Click “Donate” at the top of this page. Thanks!
Filed under About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Christmas, Christmas giving, christmas on the streets, christmas spirit, Dignity, gift of christmas, homeless christmas, Homelessness, meaning of christmas, Passion for Youth art program, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Street Outreach, Street Youth, street youth art program, Street Youth in Canada, Street Youth Ottawa, systemic poverty canada · Tagged with Addictions, Alcoholism, break cycle poverty, christmas gift, christmas poverty, crystal meth, Dignity, gift of christmas, help the poor, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, jail time, living on the streets, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, social justice, Street Youth, street youth outreach
Posted by ken on November 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Here is the first episode of Rachel’s Gift, an 8 part series running until December 23. Here is the audio backgrounder: Rachel’s Gift episode 1
“One of my first memories was my brother falling off the balcony of one of the places we were at once, it was so dark and we moved so often. I remember sleeping on the floor of our apartment with my mom and my brother. We were using towels to cover up – I don’t think we had any blankets to use at all. There wasn’t any furniture in our home. I don’t exactly remember why. The apartment was empty. It was just us and an ashtray sitting there. Drugs were a part of my life from my earliest memories. There were parties at our apartment, and I would wake up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom and found out that the bathroom was drug central – people doing lines of coke on the back of the toilet tank. There was a lot of partying when I was a kid, it came to be just another part of my life, a part of childhood. Isn’t that what everyone does? I don’t remember my father – it was only my mom, brother and me. We moved a lot – I didn’t understand why we stayed only three months at a time in places. Now I know: first and last month’s rent, one free month and then we’re moving again.”
Next Week: Nine to Sixteen: one place after another, moving all the time, eviction after eviction, life according to drugs, trouble in school, time to move on… again.
Filed under About OIM, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Christmas, Christmas giving, christmas on the streets, General Poverty, gift of christmas, homeless christmas, Miracle on the Streets, Passion for Youth art program, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Street Youth, Street Youth in Canada, Street Youth Ottawa, systemic poverty canada · Tagged with Addictions, Alcoholism, break cycle poverty, christmas gift, christmas poverty, crystal meth, help the poor, poverty Canada, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, Street Youth, street youth outreach
Posted by ken on July 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Our recent youth art show was a hit! Great venue, great art, great food and guests – but there is a dynamic to the whole scenario that surpasses them all! For you ‘bottom liners’, it’s the work of the Master Artist shaping, reforming and molding lives. That is the real deal.
One of the gals with yellow spiked hair took the art group camera and just started taking pictures of people, artwork and activities. Another young man took opportunity to play the guitar and sing. A second guitar was picked up and strummed. One of the girls shared some poetry about life on the street, and another gal sang Janis Joplin’s hit “Lord wontcha buy me a Mercedes Benz.” People from the community mulling and commenting about the art and reviewing its impact. Art hanging from the ceiling, art displayed on the tables, spoken word and song… and then, well you know I’d come back to it, the living art that made the art.
Moving. Stirring. Amazing. All of the above.
One piece in particular grabbed my attention. An old school Polaroid camera with some instructions written and taped near the viewfinder, “Look here.” Another message taped on the side of the camera said, “One picture doesn’t tell the story.” Curiousity aroused, I took a peek.
The viewfinder revealed one photograph of a young man sitting on a curb. No distinctive expression on his face. Nothing particular about his appearance, dressed in shirt and jeans. Not ‘flying a sign’ or cap inviting donations. Just a young man sitting on the curb.
Ah, then I remember the ‘one picture doesn’t tell the story’ line and my mind races forward at light speed. How true, not just of this one young man, but the larger picture (sorry about that) about life. What you see in a moment, what you experience in one interaction, what you can assess or glean from one brief conversation – does not even begin to tell the story.
Then I got angry at myself: how many times have I had the audacity to analyze, scrutinize and evaluate from one brief glimpse, from one short encounter? Far too many for me to recount here. How many times have I made my assessment from one snapshot? Instances started to flood my mind and my head was spinning.
I held the Polaroid at arms’ length, its message penetrating deep into my own soul. I really don’t know much about art, but something was happening here…
The Master Artist was doing a bit of reshaping in me…
Filed under ABCD, About OIM, Assets Based Community Development, Breaking the cycle of poverty, creative arts, Dignity, Events, General Poverty, Homelessness, Miracle on the Streets, Passion for Youth art program, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Street Outreach, Street Youth, street youth art program, Street Youth in Canada, Street Youth Ottawa · Tagged with ABCD, Addictions, Alcoholism, art therapy, Assets Based Community Development, break cycle poverty, Dignity, help the poor, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, living on the streets, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ottawa, Recovery, Respect, social justice, Street Outreach, street work, street youth outreach
Posted by ken on June 7, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Our street youth art program is really making a difference in young people’s lives. Street-engaged youth are finding housing, employment, entering programs for reducing their drug use and making better life choices in general. Each week about fourteen young people come to the art group, but it’s so much more than creating art!
Some of the kids have described it as ‘family’, others as ‘church’, and all as something they really look forward to each week. Some have described it as the highlight of their week, and look forward to Thursday nights. It is amazing to watch these young people grow and develop in so many different areas.
One of the ways we are funding this non-government program is through our first golf tournament to be held on June 17. Mountain Creek Golf Course in Arnprior will host the tournament with a shotgun start at 12 noon. Eighteen holes with four ‘hole-in-one’ prizes, closest to the pin, longest drive, putting contest and a few other surprises will certainly engage and excite novice and pro golfers alike. It’s a best ball tournament, so there is a chance that someone on your foursome will make a good shot.
A barbeque medley will follow, along with a silent auction, and each golfer will take home a special prize – some pretty nice prizes too, if I don’t say so myself.
It is promising to be a great day, and one that you will not want to miss. We have between 25 and 30 teams currently registered (a few await confirmation – and payment) with room for 36 teams in total.
The few spaces remaining will go quickly and we will probably sell out – so call us today and register your team.
Remember – it’s not only a fun daygolfing, but a great cause. All the monies raised will go directly towards our Passion for Youth Art Program. Call us at 613-237-6031!
Filed under ABCD, About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Assets Based Community Development, Breaking the cycle of poverty, creative arts, Dignity, Events, General Poverty, Homelessness, Passion for Youth art program, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Street Youth, street youth art program, Street Youth Ottawa · Tagged with ABCD, Addictions, Alcoholism, art therapy, Assets Based Community Development, break cycle poverty, help the poor, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ottawa, Make a diference, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, Recovery, Street Youth, street youth outreach
Posted by ken on March 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment
March winds blow, or it pours rain, minus 30 with the wind chill – or any combination thereof. Only in Canada, eh?
We can look forward to spring, but it seems a long time coming.
No less for our street friends – not that’s the understatement of the year.
Christmas is a time typically when there is a generous outpouring of love and generosity to those on the streets and we are thankful for this. But what about after Christmas?
Maybe we don’t think about it all that much, but the winter is a misery when you are on the move all the time, with no place to rest your usually wet, cold, freezing feet. The laundromat is usually a good place, but it is often the case that the proprietors of the same are on the lookout for people who don’t wash their clothes. The laundromat just beside our offfice entance is a good example. It is common for the police to be called to this place, because some of Ottawa’s homeless population need a warm place.
In extreme cold -whatever that is- I guess it depends on whether or not you are in the cold all the time . Street-engaged people are herded up and forced to go ‘inside’ (not the Chateau Laurier). This experience can be worse that staying outside, because it is yet another violation of their persons (the force that can accompany can be excessive) – there are reasons why people cannot access services.
I guess I’m painting a pretty dark, bleak picture. A bit negative, eh? But it is what it is – I’m pretty sure about that.
What then? Well, don’t forget about those on the streets, even when the weather has some degree of improvement: the nights are still very cold.
Why not think about doing something about this problem? You could contact one of the local agencies in your city and volunteer to do something. Maybe you could give something – time, talents or money. Stop and talk to someone you pass who is panhandling on the streets: you would be surprised how ‘invisible’ someone can become as soon as they sit on a curb with a ball cap and ask for money. Give or not, it’s up to you, but you need to see that this is a real person, with a real story, he/she is where she is, not from choice, but from a cascade of trouble that they could do nothing to change (it usually begins with childhood abuse – how can we hold someone responsible for that?)
Give some change if you like – better a bill. Once you give, forget about what will happen to it. We hold people so very responsible for so little, when we are so careless with the treasures with which we have been blessed.
One thing for sure: we really can’t do nothing about this. In our affluence, remember the poor.
Make a difference. Go out there and change your world.
Filed under About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Dignity, General Poverty, Homelessness, Injustice, Justice, justice canada, mental health, mental illness, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Volunteer Ottawa, Volunteering · Tagged with Addictions, Alcoholism, break cycle poverty, Dignity, drop in, drop in service, injustice Ontario, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ottawa, Respect, social justice, Street Outreach, Street Youth, Volunteer, Volunteering, walk the streets
Posted by ken on January 14, 2011 · Leave a Comment
We receive many donations of clothing at the drop in and we invite folks to help themselves to whatever they need. From time to time we are presented with genuine needs that go far beyond any donation.
Jimmy takes a size 15 boot and has difficulties finding this size anywhere in the city. Bill has a rather large circumference and has the same problem.
I approached Bill and told him we could help. If he would like, we could go to a big box store and he could get a couple pair of pants. He declined, saying that his sweat pants were serving their purpose quite well, and that there was no need – perhaps I could find someone who was really poor and who needed it. After some further conversation, he hesitantly admitted, well, he might be able to use some 52” waist trousers given that his other pair of pants were shorts (and he had been wearing them this winter!!) He was too shy to come with me, but if I went to the box store, he would need 52” a (not 50”) waist. I asked if we should do a measurement just in case, but we couldn’t find a measuring tape.
Final words, “Fifty-two.”
“No problem”, I replied, “You wait right here.”
South on Bank Street, and my two BIG questions (nice pun!) at the box store, “Do you have 52” waist pants and size 15 warm winter boots?” was answered in the affirmative. Back to the drop in.
I discretely passed Bill the inside out bag with two pairs of pants and suspenders, and encouraged him to go try them on for size. “Are they 52?” he asked.
“Yes, they are.”
“Then they will be fine, thank you very much. Fifty-two’s will be just fine. Thank you very much.”
“It might be good to try them, just in case. Sometimes store measurements can be a bit off,” I proposed, and, after receiving a somewhat hesitant affirmation, I went off to find Jimmy. Word got out that I had been looking for him, and he was waiting when I returned. Before I told him about the new boots he mentioned that his feet were wet and cold from the snow, and size 15 were not common. I told him that was just what I wanted to talk to him about. He welcomed the news and we went to the car, and he tried on the boots right there.
“Are these size 14?” he asked.
“No, these are size 15 – hey, here’s the tag,” and showed him the big ‘15’ on the box.
“Hmmm, nice.”
I passed him one of the boots and he asked for the other. “My left foot is bigger,” he explained.
Long story short, the left foot was a bit tight, but the right fit perfectly. He was very pleased and thanked me profusely.
Back downstairs to see how Bill made out. When I was only just in sight, he yelled, “Good one Ken! Thanks to Lord too,” and explained how the pants did not fit properly – maybe an inch and a half too short of buttoning up.
“Maybe get a 54 or 55 would be good. Don’t be shy. Sorry for the trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” I replied, “Better to find out now and make the exchange.”
South on Bank Street, and now just one BIG question, “Do you have 54” and Matt promptly searched for the right numbers. “Do you have 55?” I inquired, “that might be better.”
“If it’s just 1 ½ inch, then a 54 will fit just fine.”
Back again to the drop in – it was almost deserted by this time – and no Bill. Anybody seen Bill? He was upstairs getting his hair cut, so all was well.
“Got the 54’s,” I said, “No problem at all.”
“That will be great,” he replied. “Thanks so much. I am so sorry for your trouble. Thank you.”
“Maybe you should just try these on to be sure,” I offered, confident that I had achieved my goal.
“As soon as I’m done.”
Twenty minutes later he came out of the washroom with a concerned look on his face. “Ken, they only just fit. Will they shrink? What if I just hung them to dry? What if the woman that sometimes helps with my laundry forgets, and puts them in the dryer? They just barely fit now. And they’re 54’s (sigh).”
“That’s not so bad. One of our volunteers has a cousin that takes a 60.” He raised his eyebrows. I’ll take them back and get the next size up. Come to the office at noon tomorrow, and we’ll get the right size.”
“I’m so sorry about all this,” he said sadly, ”It is so much trouble.”
“Tomorrow you will have pants that fit properly. You will enjoy them for a long time to come. It’s worth it to do this right. “
“Around noon then. Thank you Ken. Thank you.”
Filed under ABCD, About OIM, Assets Based Community Development, Biblical, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Dignity, Drop In Services, General Poverty, Homelessness, Housing, Housing Canada, Housing Ontario, Housing Ottawa, injustice Ontario, Justice, justice canada, mental health, Miracle on the Streets, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Social, Volunteer Ottawa, Volunteering · Tagged with ABCD, Addictions, Alcoholism, Assets Based Community Development, biblical justice, break cycle poverty, Dignity, drop in, drop in service, help the poor, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, injustice Canada, injustice Ontario, living on the streets, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ottawa, Recovery, Respect, social justice, Street Outreach, street work, Street Youth, Volunteer
Posted by ken on January 5, 2011 · Leave a Comment
A sunny bright first week of January and many greetings of “Happy New Year” were offered from our friends at the drop in. New Years is just so much better than Christmas.
In addition to the beautiful day, some of our folks were only just receiving their cheques from December (some glitch in the matrix of ODSP/OW) on this day, so it was doubly beautiful (maybe more).
Our numbers are down a bit because of the cheque thing (a typical first of the month pattern), but we have given up trying to estimate our effectiveness through the number of people served a meal. Instead we count the number of positive interactions our volunteers have with our street friends – more than ‘the Big three’ of news, weather and sports.
Downstairs, there’s a couple of euchre games on the go, people visiting with each other, relaxed, informal – a nice place to hang out.
Let’s ‘drop in’ on a few of my encounters with our friends:
I met Bill who is 19 years old and his sister Chaucery (or so I thought, until Bill told me it was his mom), and we chatted. Two years ago he ran from a fight only to have a severe stab wound in the skull: “See the mark?” he says as he points to the top of his head. We talked of a few things, but he told me he didn’t want to talk about his father, one time Chaucery’s partner. Then, after about twenty minutes, he brought up the topic of his father, and how he had been so severely mistreated. Usually, among people who have been mistreated as children it is their fathers who have been the primary causes of abuse. He didn’t want to talk about it, but then he did. He had been diagnosed with some condition of mental illness (before the knife wound and somehow associated with his father), he explained, and lives with his mom. Their hydro had been cut off, and it was a good thing I wasn’t part of the blanket-blank agency, or they would have some choice words for me. They were going to make it, the mom said, because hydro was not their heat source, and their landlord had allowed them to have an extension cord running to a power outlet in the hall. “We have lots to be thankful for,” Bill reminded his mom.
On the way to the coffee urn, Wayne came in and asked if he could have a hamper to take home with him (before the appointed time for hampers) because the service technician was coming to his new place to hook up a phone that afternoon. Wayne has undergone a remarkable recovery from alcohol, drugs and the street scene. He has been clean for over a year now, and has every intention of continuing to improve his life. After many, many attempts to obtain housing, he now has a place of his own. I marvel at what he has accomplished against overwhelming odds, as well at his determination to keep on the ‘straight and narrow’.
Jelica, our managing director, put together a few groceries, while Wayne showed us pictures of his two daughters and grandchildren. “Wow”, I said, admiring the photographs and smiling, “You don’t look it, but you truly are a rich man.” He quickly nodded assent and told a condensed version of the powerful reconciliation he recently had with one of his daughters – after being estranged from her for many, many years.
“Thank you so very much for the food,” he said, and put the pictures carefully in the front part of his knapsack, and the groceries in the back. “I’m off to catch the 12:10 bus.”
As he climbed the stairs out of the building, my eyes met Jelicas’, and there was a simultaneous sigh of gratitude and wonder at this example of a transformed life. More than words are needed to grasp the deep significance of what was happening all around us.
It’s all a gift from God, and gifts of God.
These kinds of encounters happen all the time, each one purposefully and intrinsically orchestrated by our Heavenly Father: each one a display of His splendor . Mother Theresa coined it well when she said, “We see Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
You should find out how you could be a part of this somehow. Happy New Years!
Filed under About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Biblical, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Christmas, Dignity, Drop In Services, General Poverty, Homelessness, Housing, Housing Canada, Housing Ontario, Housing Ottawa, Injustice, injustice Ontario, Justice, justice canada, mental health, Miracle on the Streets, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Social, Street Outreach, Street Youth, Street Youth in Canada, Street Youth Ottawa, Uncategorized, Volunteer Ottawa, Volunteering · Tagged with Addictions, Alcoholism, art therapy, Assets Based Community Development, biblical justice, break cycle poverty, christmas gift, criminal justice system, Dignity, drop in, drop in service, help the poor, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, Housing in Ontario, Justice, living on the streets, Make a diference, mental health, poverty Canada, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, Recovery, Respect, Street Outreach, Street Youth, Volunteer, Volunteering, walk the streets
Posted by ken on December 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Merry Christmas! Just a quick note today, on the eve of Christmas eve, to invite you to do a last minute gift purchase - for someone experiencing homelessness – for someone you don’t even know. Click on the banner above for more info.
AND, if you would visit www.chri.ca, you can listen to the podcast of the interview I did with the Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson. This is not a political maneuvering or ‘nail him to the post’ interview, but an opportunity to hear our Mayor’s heart regarding the less fortunate in our city: how at an early age, he learned to care, what he is doing now, and some ideas how citizens of Ottawa (and beyond) can become involved.
Take opportunity today and make a donation. We’ll be sure it gets to where it’s needed most!
Filed under ABCD, About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Assets Based Community Development, Biblical, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Christmas, christmas cheer, Christmas giving, christmas on the streets, christmas spirit, Dignity, Drop In Services, Events, General Poverty, gift of christmas, homeless christmas, Homelessness, Housing, Injustice, Justice, justice canada, meaning of christmas, mental health, mental illness, Miracle on the Streets, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Social, Street Outreach, Street Youth, Street Youth in Canada, Street Youth Ottawa, Uncategorized, Volunteer Ottawa, Volunteering · Tagged with ABCD, Addictions, Alcoholism, art therapy, Assets Based Community Development, biblical justice, break cycle poverty, christmas poverty, Dignity, drop in, drop in service, gift of christmas, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, living on the streets, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, Respect, social justice, Street Outreach, street work, Street Youth, street youth outreach, Volunteer, Volunteering, walk the streets
Posted by ken on December 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Merry Christmas! I did some research about how much money Canadians spent last Christmas – it amounted to thirty-four and a half BILLION dollars ($34.5B). Then the latest stats indicated a family of four would spend between $1,200 and $1,500 on average, with a single Canadian spending an average of $809.
Canadians are generous people. In fact, in 2009, Canada tied with Ireland for the third highest donators to charity in the world. Charitable giving to religious organizations ranked three times higher than the second category (health institutions).
We have enough for ourselves, and we have enough to help others!
This Christmas, why not show your generosity by adding a homeless person to your Christmas list? It’s common for us to add an additional person to our Christmas shopping list from time to time, what about giving something special to people who really don’t have anything (and who are not really on anyone’s list!)? This would really make a difference in someone’s life.
You could give a Winter Street Survival Kit or buy someone a Christmas Dinner for $2.69, or make a donation and we will ensure help gets to where it is most needed.
On the banner above are ways that you can quickly and easily add a homeless person to your Christmas list. I have found that people who call the streets their home are very, very grateful for the acts of kindness and gifts that are given to them. On behalf of those who will be recipients of your generous giving, let me say, “Thank you.”
Tell a friend, challenge them to step up to the plate, and make a difference in your world!
Filed under About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Christmas, christmas cheer, Christmas giving, christmas on the streets, christmas spirit, Drop In Services, Events, General Poverty, gift of christmas, homeless christmas, Homelessness, Justice, meaning of christmas, Miracle on the Streets, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Street Outreach, Street Youth, Street Youth in Canada, Street Youth Ottawa, Volunteer Ottawa, Volunteering · Tagged with Addictions, Alcoholism, break cycle poverty, christmas gift, Christmas giving, christmas poverty, christmas spirit, gift of christmas, help the poor, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, living on the streets, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, Respect
Posted by ken on November 26, 2010 · 2 Comments
I spoke with Walter on the street outside our drop in and listened as he shared his frustration with the current state of affairs with housing in Ottawa – specifically how he has been unable to secure a place to live off the streets. He is also pretty peeved about his inability to access meals in the downtown core, because of his past behavior.
He does not have any kind of track record of ability of keeping an apartment, and therefore does not have any references. And, when he tells prospective landlords that he is able to pay because he is a recipient of ODSP (Ontario Disability Service Plan), it serves as a final nail in his coffin. It appears that Landlords are not interested in housing people who are on disability, probably because they have experienced difficulties with others in the same situation.
But Walter is not the same person who was barred for three lifetimes from one of the service agencies downtown. (Yup, you read correctly, three lifetimes!!! What’s that? I don’t know.)
The stigma that is associated with Walter stems from his past involvement with alcohol, addictions and violence. But the thing is, Walter has not touched alcohol or drugs now for over a year! Nothing.
Still, he is refused housing because he is on ODSP and does not have a reference from any landlord because he has lived only on the streets; and he is refused services because of events that happened six years ago.
What kind of any chance do people like Walter have? How can the stigma be broken? Who will do some advocacy on Walter’s behalf? Some people ‘turn over a new leaf’ in order to get what they need and then turn the leaf right back over, but this is not the case with Walter. Is there any kind of ‘second chance’ today, when people can have a fresh start?
Walter’s determination to remain clean and sober, is an demonstration of courage and determination far above what I could imagine for anyone else in the same situation.
What motivation or reason is there for Walter to sustain the significant life changes that he has demonstrated? His journey over the past twelve months is inspiring!!
Long story short, Walter is going to drop by the office tomorrow. Maybe he’ll find someone who will believe his story and do a bit of advocacy on his part: make a few calls, give some affirmation of Walter’s character and sobriety. Then maybe someone will believe him.
If you would like to send some encouraging words to Walter through responding to this blog, I will make sure that he gets your note. Maybe, just maybe, he will be encouraged through your words and our actions. Cheers!
Filed under About OIM, Addictions, Alcoholism, Breaking the cycle of poverty, Dignity, Drop In Services, Events, General Poverty, Homelessness, Housing, Housing Canada, Housing Ontario, Housing Ottawa, Injustice, injustice Ontario, Justice, justice canada, Miracle on the Streets, Personal Experiences, Poverty, Poverty in Canada, Recovery, Respect, Social, Volunteer Ottawa · Tagged with Addictions, Alcoholism, biblical justice, break cycle poverty, Dignity, drop in, drop in service, Homelessness, homelessness canada, homelessness ontario, homelessness ottawa, Housing in Ontario, Housing in Ottawa, Justice, justice system, living on the streets, Make a diference, poverty Canada, poverty ontario, poverty ottawa, Recovery, Respect, social justice, Street Outreach, street work
