SERVICES

Meeting the needs of our community where they are

Street Outreach

Who can use this service?

This service is open to anyone who calls the streets their home. Our outreach teams provide immediate provisions, such as sandwiches, snacks, hats, sleeping bags, and other items.

Routes and timings

Please note that the timings for each outreach team will differ based on the day; however, most teams will go out in the late afternoon or early evening. Our outreach teams plan to walk Bank Street and Rideau Street, going as far as the Byward Market.

Purpose

Walking alongside and empowering individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness in Ottawa's downtown core, OIM's Street Outreach teams create trusting relationships through a consistent presence and the provision of vital relief, pastoral care, crisis intervention, and referrals.

About

Operating seven days a week, 365 days a year, Street Outreach is the primary component of OIM’s work. Through Street Outreach, our trained volunteers meet men and women living on the street, create trusting relationships, and work to fill both physical and personal needs. Each year, OIM makes over 25,000 connections on the street in downtown Ottawa; approximately 2,500 of whom are youth.

If you see two or more people walking down the street wearing a bright red vest with the OIM logo on it, then you have run into one of our outreach teams! OIM’s Street Outreach volunteers are out meeting with our street friends where they are, handing out snacks and toiletries.

Remember that the Outreach Team is out to connect with and serve Ottawa’s street community. If you or someone you may have seen need something don’t hesitate to wave them down.