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Dec 12, 2012

Sasha’s Story: Episode Five, The Birth of Hope

Sasha’s Story is an 8 part series running until December 24. To listen to the audio backgrounder from CHRI radio, click Episode #5 Birth of Hope I met Ken I think nine years ago: it must have been just before I was diagnosed with AIDS. Just at that time I first got off the streets into a place on Bronson. It was hard moving off the streets: I had to learn how to live, learn how to cook, learn how to clean, how to do all these different things, how to keep on going with my l

Oct 24, 2012

Thanksgiving Dinner at OIM!

As I looked around the room as lunch was in full-swing yesterday, I couldn’t help but feel very blessed to be surrounded by great 39 amazing volunteers as they bustled around the room preparing lunch, setting tables, rolling napkins, making coffee and doing many other of the critical tasks related to hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for over 200 people. Over the weekend many more hands cooked turkeys, mashed potatoes, made stuffing and boiled up delicious gravy to be served to

May 23, 2012

Kudos!

So last week the Wednesday night group got SOAKED (during that big rainstorm) on our evening walk-around. I mean drenched. I’ve seriously been less wet in the shower than I was out on the street last week. “Oh well!” I thought to myself “At least we’ll have a pretty quick tour, most people will have found shelter somewhere.” Sadly, I was reminded that many of our friends don’t have the means to acquire shelter (even in a downpour), or are denied welcome at places where they c

Apr 16, 2012

It’s not really about the jacket

One of the most amazing privileges of working with people is the opportunities we have to build relationships. Over the past years there is one guy with whom I have struck a very interesting and (even cool) connection. I see my friend John every week, usually about three times. I have watched him progress from hard-core crack cocaine usage to today when he is clean from crack. His background is so traumatic and dark, his family story and childhood so very dark, I often marve

Apr 13, 2012

Who’s really asleep here?

As I write this, you should know that I am really, really angry! I am angry as I witnessed and was even an unwilling participant of inflicting yet another injustice on one of our less fortunate. Less fortunate, yes. Less fortunate because he becomes so easy to pick on, to blame, to push out of the way, hide somewhere where we, the general public, don’t have to see him. Hide him somewhere where we don’t have to see his poverty, smell the stench of his pain and suffering so

Apr 12, 2012

The Mundane Is Extraordinary..

“Do you have room for one more?” It was the end of the day at our drop-in and I was getting ready to clean up the foot care station. I was tired. I had been there for four hours cleaning and massaging feet of all sizes, shapes, and conditions. And yet I was drawn to this disheveled, but gentle old man. “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

Mar 21, 2012

Love and Respect

Some of the most down to earth and insightful exchanges I have are during outreach with OIM. Week after week I stop with my fellow OIM volunteers to chat with people with diverse backgrounds and histories. To us it doesn’t matter where they came from, or where they may be headed; the point is to be there for them in whatever way they desire. If they want to chat, we lend an ear; if they need something to eat, we give them some food; if they don’t want anything, we move on.

Mar 10, 2011

What? Weather?

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, bu

Jan 20, 2011

Gladness and Sadness

Our Christmas Dinner was held this past Tuesday, January 18. Three weeks after Christmas and people who received their cheques before Christmas are ready for a hot turkey dinner. Seems to work for everyone. Two settings of eighty people each, tickets are distributed and it works well. This year we had an East Coast Trio that did well: one of our Newfoundland guys said, “I close my eyes and I’m back home.” Volunteers cooking, serving, cleaning, visiting – with our friends f

Jan 14, 2011

BIG day at the Drop In

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 pa

Jan 5, 2011

Drop In to our Drop In, New Year’s 2011

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 giv

Dec 23, 2010

Add a Homeless Person to Your Christmas List – II

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 he

Dec 3, 2010

The Gift of Christmas (volunteer social dec. 2)

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders, And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9; 6, 7 The Gift of Christmas is all wrapped up in Jesus, is Jesus, and is the meaning of Christmas. His message is the gift that keeps on giving as the gospel unfolds: cradle to cross, Jew to Gentile, one person told another person, who told yet another, they told somebo

Nov 18, 2010

Youth Art Show II

The evening the kids have been preparing for had finally arrived. It was time for the ‘Passion for Youth’ art show at Dominion Chalmers. There was sufficient space for each artist to choose five pieces of their work to show, and it was a challenge for some to decide. Hustle, bustle, the staging of sofas and tables from the art room on the second floor, the preparation of the interactive art table where guests could be creative, coffee, tea and snacks set near the entrance

Oct 21, 2010

Moved with Compassion

Returning to the office in the early evening to gather some materials I had forgotten, I discovered the first of the evening outreach workers at the back preparing for the night. Each weeknight teams of trained volunteers prepare knapsacks full of sandwiches, drink boxes, personal care items and other ‘treats’ which might be available, in preparation for their venture into the downtown core. These items are important in that they are ‘immediate felt need’ items, but are mor

Oct 15, 2010

Thanksgiving Drop In Style

Just after the Thanksgiving holiday. Wednesday drop in. Friend after friend came up to me and spoke with me very candidly about how much they appreciated what we were doing at the drop in. Billy Bob told me that last week, he was given six eggs! What a blessing for him! He said he budgeted the eggs on a daily basis and they lasted all week. He couldn’t believe that we would give out fresh eggs. While he was speaking I was thinking about his complimenting us when, about

Sep 23, 2010

Live and Silent Auction – the details

Generally speaking the needs on the street are increasing and for many charities across Canada, there are dwindling resources as people are faced with financial crises of various sorts. We are hosting a fund raising auction that I would like you to attend. The details are in the rotating banner above, but if you are interested, I would like to share with you some of the events of the evening: Greg Paul, well-known speaker and author will be our guest speaker. Greg is from

Jul 1, 2010

NEW!! Chiropractic Care at the Drop In

Just a few weeks ago we initiated chiropractic care at our drop in. What an amazing outreach! Dr. Greg Payne from Ottawa came to us last fall and offered his services to our guests at the drop in. He took our Urban Intervention Training, and just a few weeks ago, he came with his portable adjustment table and a heart to serve the poor. Calm and unassuming, Dr. Payne spends time with each of our street friends who are suffering in their bodies, and makes appropriate chiropr

Jun 3, 2010

The Power of Volunteers

As we work among people experiencing poverty and homelessness, we have discovered an unusually powerful component that has become one of the foundations of our outreach – volunteers. It never ceases to amaze me how people will leave the warmth and comfort of their homes and families and brave all elements to ensure that the relationships they have established with their friends on the streets or at one of our drop in programs, are maintained and strengthened. Truly amazing.

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