Apr 27, 2018Small GesturesI was reminded of this recently when a former client called us from Toronto. She and her husband had been struggling with serious...
Apr 18, 2018Building Relationships On The StreetOne of those individuals who I have met while on street outreach is “Bob.” Bob has been living on the streets for many years. I count it...
Apr 8, 2018God of the OrdinaryIt was the end of the day at our drop-in and I was getting ready to clean up the Foot Care Station. I had been there for four hours,...
Apr 5, 2018What does volunteering at OIM look like?Beth comes every Wednesday all the way from the outskirts of Ottawa to the downtown core, where she has been volunteering at the Office...
Jan 1, 2018A Homeless Vet’s Journey: THANK YOU!Together we got to see what it’s really like to navigate our social services system: feeling his pain, experiencing his disappointment,...
Dec 27, 2017A Homeless Vet’s Journey: Hear Kurk In His Own Words, Part 2No support to help you through… unless someone steps up! OIM staff and volunteers step up on a regular basis to help and support people...
Dec 25, 2017A Homeless Vet’s Journey: Hear Kurk In His Own Words, Part 1Our Christmas Story this year took us on a journey with Kurk, a homeless Vet, who lost everything. We walked alongside him as he tried to...
Oct 13, 2017The Bob Series: Marginalized survivorsNote: To protect the identity of the people I write about, I have chosen to use the name ‘Bob’ in the following piece… All of the people...
Sep 21, 2017A Place of Third ChancesThat’s because this was his third time around. Having taken the next steps to go through an alcohol treatment program and transition into...
Aug 24, 2017It’s the small things in life that matterBut it is the mundane, the everyday events, that can have the biggest impact. My role at the drop-in is that of a greeter. Some say it is...
Aug 17, 2017THE ‘BOB’ SERIES: A Mighty Man HiddenBack to “Bob.” Bob is a wonderful guy. He’s articulate, engaging in conversation. He presents that air of an intellectual, but not stuffy...
Jul 20, 2017THE ‘BOB’ SERIES: For Those Who MatterBack to “Bob”: this is a man who has seen every province in our great country. This is a man who has been through many traumas, who will...
Dec 22, 2014Shane’s Story, Episode 7: Back to SchoolShane’s Story is an eight episode blog post where Shane tells her story in her own words. Each week in December, on Mondays and...
Feb 17, 2014One Thing in CommonCal’s story (‘Behind the Story’ see history on right) is common in that he is one of many on the streets who has suffered violence and...
Nov 4, 2013A Table to Share“Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” –Ephesians 5:20 Thanksgiving Dinners are a...
Oct 17, 2013The ol’ Watering Hole: A SurveyA friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17) Ever wonder why some watering holes have more traffic...
Aug 19, 2013Stories from the Street:This story comes from a street-friend who was reflecting on a situation that impacted his life greatly. This story was shared during one...
Aug 15, 2013heARTfelt Thursdays: remembering KaylinOn December 21, 2012, Kaylin, a long time member of the art group, passed away suddenly. The art group was devastated to lose a member of...
Aug 12, 2013A System Built for SomeThe Ottawa Police have had a heavy presence this summer. I see them patrolling the streets, walking down Bank or Elgin in pairs, or...
Jun 24, 2011Just ‘doing their job’? You decide…A few weeks ago, one of our street youth was found drowned in the Ottawa River. I can tell you he came from a broken home, with all the...