“I like your face. It’s kind.” She had a thin frame and walked a little crookedly, but her gaze was steady and aimed directly at mine. Several open sores dotted the skin of her face and arms, but she was a pretty young woman. “Usually I don’t take anything,” she said matter-of-factly, “but today, because of your face, I’ll look at what you’ve got.” It was my first shift as a street outreach volunteer, and for most of the nearly three-hour stroll around the downtown core, I pu

Recently, I went to Tim Horton's to buy that extra coffee, as I knew I would require extra caffeine. As I walked across the street, there were two ladies standing at the corner of the building talking. One (we’ll call Maria) was holding a sign. She was looking for some change. As I approached the building, the lady said to Maria , “Thank you for sharing that, and I hope your day gets better, ” and walked away. I have no clue if she gave her anything. I kept on walking. When i

Sometimes after serving with Street Outreach, I cannot fall asleep, my mind stuck on those on the street I have just seen. When I see the...

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with a guest at our Summer BBQ meal to chat. She shared some of her life story...

Periodically, I have the opportunity to speak to groups of people from across the NCR about OIM. I share with these groups the various...