BLOG

I make a quick stop at a local fast food restaurant for some food and meet a homeless gentleman at the door. He is panhandling, which is strange for this location. He quietly opens the door for everyone, never saying a word, never making eye contact, just holding out his cup, expectantly hoping. His clothes look clean but they are in rough shape. Everyone rushes in trying to avoid him, but I can’t. I ask him if he is hungry and he looks me in the eye and says, ‘yes.’ Inside,

Larissa’s Journey is a blog series that we hope will offer insight and understanding into the lives of one of the young people in the Innercity Arts program. We hope to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and honestly reflect the lives of those who call the streets their home. This blog is the more detailed account of Larissa’s on air presentations on Family Radio CHRI, 99.1 fm, each weekday at 8 am and 5 pm. Thanks for listening. I don’t remember when I left the shelt

Larissa’s Journey is a blog series that we hope will offer insight and understanding into the lives of one of the young people in the Innercity Arts program. We hope to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and honestly reflect the lives of those who call the streets their home. This blog is the more detailed account of Larissa’s on-air presentations on Family Radio CHRI, 99.1 FM, each weekday at 8 am and 5 pm. Thanks for listening. I didn’t feel ready to be on my own, b

Larissa’s Journey is a blog series that we hope will offer insight and understanding into the lives of one of the young people in the Innercity Arts program. We hope to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and honestly reflect the lives of those who call the streets their home. This blog is the more detailed account of Larissa’s on air presentations on Family Radio CHRI, 99.1 fm, each weekday at 8 am and 5 pm. Thanks for listening! Editor: Please stay tuned to Family Ra

The whole night went by and we handed out the usual: sandwiches, socks, juice boxes. Finally, as we were ending our shift, one of the last persons we saw that night (if not THE last) asked if we had a pair of shoes. I said: “Yes! Here you go,” showing him the famous shoes. To my surprise, not only did he recognise the brand right away, but he was so happy that he couldn’t stop jumping with joy and thanking us, again and again. Even though these “new-ish” shoes were a bit di

When someone from the street experiences loss, their own isolation and marginalization is often compounded with the question: Does anyone really care? Their pain was very real and tangible. In fact when I made the mistake of saying ‘I’m sorry.’ The response from both was a few expletive words wrapped around, ‘what do you care?’ Their comments really struck a nerve with me. I really did empathize with what they were going through. But how do I share with them that they are not

Listen this morning as Executive Director, Ken MacLaren, shares the latest news about the Ministry’s most pressing need: Office Space. Click on the image below and hear Ken speak: Join us TODAY as staff and volunteers pray for office space for this ministry! 30 Days of Prayer, 30 Seconds Each Day, In Honour of Our 30th Anniversary This story is part of A Special Series this month in honour of OIM’s 30th Anniversary. We hope to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and h

It 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, cleaning and massaging feet. I was tired. My hands ached. “Of course I have room,” I replied. His eyes sparkled with gratitude. I proceeded to fill the foot basin with water, Epsom salts, and soap. He carefully removed his worn shoes and dirty socks, ashamed as he revealed his soiled feet. I pretended not to notice. Then he soaked his feet and w

And yet, they are all there with the same message: “I want your attention.” The reward in the discovery of a “blur” is like a box waiting to be opened. Jake was one such potential “blur” when I stopped for a moment just to say hello and ask how the day was going. Jake wasn’t very responsive and not much in the mood for conversation. Some boxes are harder to open than others; glued, taped and wrapped in string make them difficult to see what’s inside. I had ongoing opportuniti

In our conversations, Stu openly admits to being a heroin addict. He is very pragmatic – almost absolute – in his resolve to continue on this track. I have often been perplexed by the lack of emotion surrounding our conversations, as if a 1950s news reporter was sharing the facts of a distant story. I have tried to impress upon him that there is Someone who cares about him; but these comments were often dismissed without words, almost blocked by his silence. And, yet, his sof

On a recent family vacation to BC, we witnessed polite but dishevelled panhandlers plying their trade amidst the more decidedly destitute segment of the population, all passive against the throb of the downtown core of that province’s largest city. In front of the exquisite old railway station and among the edgy new commercial buildings, we found them. Similarly I saw disadvantaged people in Cincinnati and Shreveport. They seem to stand out, as icons of another world in which

Some seem helpless and solely dependent upon one or more of the many institutions, like Ottawa Innercity Ministries (OIM), whose support is freely and willingly available to them. Often, OIM outreach teams come across those whose friendly banter and hopeful smiles make our simple acts of kindness extremely rewarding. Recently, seated on the sidewalk on a cold winter’s afternoon in front of the Rideau Centre, a young man named ‘Stan’ (not his real name) displayed all of these

Together we got to see what it’s really like to navigate our social services system: feeling his pain, experiencing his disappointment, and discovering the strength and stamina he found to stay the course. Well, it took over three months after Kurk’s initial attempt to get what is rightfully his, and he finally gets a cheque. Listen as Kurk comes into the CHRI studio and shares his heart of thankfulness for your support and encouragement over the airing of his journey. Plea

No support to help you through… unless someone steps up! OIM staff and volunteers step up on a regular basis to help and support people who are struggling to survive. Although there is still much to be done, click the play button below to listen to Kurk’s final thoughts after coming through on the other side of this leg of his journey: Hear Kurk’s Final Thoughts on his Journey So Far. You Won’t Want to Miss it! –> Kurk’s Final Message. Please consider giving a special Holida

Our 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 get back on his feet after losing everything in a fire in 2013. Together we got to see what it’s really like to navigate our social services system: feeling his pain, experiencing his disappointment, and discovering the strength and stamina he found to stay the course. Click the play button below and listen to Kurk’s final thoughts after c

To hear the audio introduction to A Homeless Vet’s Journey – The Saga Continues…, click the play button below: Week 12, and the only word about Kurk’s Baptismal Certificate is, “It’s ‘in the mail’.” Kurk has not been back to the drop in – totally understandable. He did stop by the office and paid us back the $30 for his Verification of Status inquiry. This battle of bureaucracy is not yet complete: we need the Certificate of Baptism (Birth Certificate) and then start the proc

To hear the audio introduction to A Homeless Vet’s Journey – Week 6, click the play button below: When we spoke with Monica at Catherine McKenna’s office, she realized that there were some pieces of the puzzle where even she needed help. (!) She asked us to accompany her next door to Yasir Naqvi’s office, Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Centre. Kurk and I did so, and met Jessica who was most helpful. Fortunately Kurk had memorized his OHIP number and relayed this

To hear the audio introduction to A Homeless Vet’s Journey, click the play button below: We drove downtown and found the location of the Embassy. We were given a piece of paper with instructions on how to obtain a baptismal certificate. With all the fandangling and hoops that we have had to negotiate, it was a sure relief to at last find something straight forward and simple! Here are the instructions from the Embassy: “For a copy of your <Europian> birth certificate please c

To hear the audio introduction to A Homeless Vet’s Journey – Week 2, click play below: Taking Kurk aside, I asked him about the money that the government owed him. He told me that he was owed money from Canada Pension, Old Age Pension and Superannuation. He said that they had frozen his bank account and he was not receiving any money, and in fact, had not received any money for over two months. I was not sure how to proceed with this, so I picked up my phone and called my fr

For the audio introduction to A Homeless Vet’s Journey click play below: Kurk had served several tours of duty in the armed forces, serving his country, and some time ago we learned that he had also been a mercenary. He suffers from what happened in war, and suffers now from Post Tramautic Stress Disorder. When he needed help there was none – no counselling or support to help him recover. He carries this pain and his suffering. You can easily tell when Kurk is at the drop in