Author Archives: The Ottawa Mission

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm…” Isaiah 25:4

The front door of The Ottawa Mission opens hundreds of times every day – and during the winter months, it brings in a blast of cold air as so many people seek shelter from the storm.

This “shelter” may include just a warm place to sit and have a cup of coffee in our lounge. It may mean visiting our clothing room and receiving a new winter coat and boots. It may mean the first hot meal in days, and a safe place to sleep. It may mean seeking treatment for long-neglected medical issues at our clinic. It may also mean the beginning of a journey towards a better life for people who need treatment for trauma and addiction, or help finding a job, or support looking for affordable housing.

David, Sam, John and Lambros – whose stories are featured in this newsletter – are just four of the people who have recently sought and received the help they so desperately needed, and all have moved on with hope to a brighter future.

As supporters of The Mission, you should take faith in knowing you are helping all those we serve as they seek shelter from their own particular storm.

Thank you, and God bless you for helping us keep our doors open during the winter and all year long.

Paul McKechnie
President, Board of Directors
The Ottawa Mission Foundation

FOR “THE BOYS”

Ross Munro is 83 years “young” and has been volunteering at The Ottawa Mission for 15 years. For most of that time, he worked side by side with his dear wife Hariot who sadly passed away in 2012. Ross and Hariot became fixtures at The Mission over the years – often giving up to 3 days a week of their time – and they made a lasting impression on everyone, staff and clients alike. As testimony to this, when Hariot passed away, not only was there a special service for her in The Mission’s Chapel, but several clients – whom Hariot always referred to as “her boys”- attended her public funeral, and four of them even sang for her. Ross was, in his words, “overwhelmed by their support”.

Ross continued volunteering after Hariot’s passing, working mostly in the kitchen, but always making his presence felt among those he served. When he was finished his kitchen chores, he would make a point of going out and mingling with the people who had come in for a meal. Ross says one of his greatest joys was when someone in the lunch line who was clearly lonely and sad would finally respond to him by smiling, saying hello, or laughing at one of his jokes. This simply made his day. For Ross, his volunteer work has been a real labour of love. His eyes well up when he speaks of what a privilege it is to serve “the boys” – many of whom have been so badly hurt in their lives. And, he points out what a lot of people feel – “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Ross recently retired from his volunteer position at The Mission. But he says he will definitely drop by from time to time to help out in a less formal capacity and, most importantly to him, to keep in touch with everyone at The Mission, especially “the boys”.

Thank you for everything Ross, and God bless.

RELIEVED SAM’S PAIN

Winter can feel like a long season regardless of where you live. But for those staying in a homeless shelter like ours, the winter can seem extra-long indeed. On top of the cold weather, many people are struck with bad colds or flu bugs during this time of year.

That is why our Primary Health Clinic is a very important and busy place. Before the clinic opened in 2007, people staying in downtown shelters – many of whom do not have a family doctor – had to find their way to a hospital emergency room if they became ill. This was especially challenging for those dealing with mental health or addiction issues. Often, they didn’t seek help and became so ill that an ambulance would have to be called.

Now, thanks to our partnership with Ottawa Inner City Health, two Nurse Practitioners are in The Mission’s Primary Care Clinic every day and can help people very quickly. People like Sam, who was staying in our shelter and began experiencing a high level of joint pain.His pain was so severe that he could only walk very short distances. A consultation with a nurse practitioner saved him from a trip to the emergency room. After receiving an x-ray at a nearby clinic, Sam learned he was dealing with arthritis, and he was quickly given medication to alleviate the pain.

Sam will continue to receive treatment, but he is now much more mobile, and is able to continue his search for a job and housing.

For people like Sam, the Primary Clinic makes a huge difference in maintaining good health and providing timely access to vital medical care, and it also gives hope to those who need it most.

PUT JOHN IN THE PICTURE

John is 52 years old and has lived in the Ottawa area all his life. He has always worked – for many years as a tire technician, and also in food services. Behind the scenes, however, John was living with a growing addiction – one that had him in its grasp for 28 long years. It eventually cost him his house, his marriage, and his family relationships.

John came to The Ottawa Mission because he knew he needed to make big changes in his life – and he needed help. He spent time in our dry wing and in our Stabilization unit, and he is proud to say today that he has been clean and sober for 9 months and is now living in transitional housing in the community.

After he had moved on from the shelter, John remembered hearing about The Mission’s Food Services Training Program. He decided to apply for the 5-month program, was accepted, and graduated this past fall. John is now working full-time in the kitchen at Carleton University and is more hopeful about his future than he has been in many years. The skills he learned, and the confidence he gained while in the program have helped him make the big changes he wanted to make. John is grateful for everyone at The Mission he has met during his journey. From the Chaplain, to the counsellors, to Chef Ric and the kitchen staff – all have played an important part in his success. As John says, “People at The Mission helped me to accept the past and move on – in my case, to a whole new life and a whole new career.”

Another reason for John’s newfound sense of optimism is that, over the last several months, he has been able to reconnect with his family and with the spiritual side of his life as well. This past November, John attended his mother’s 78th birthday party with the rest of his family. A family photo was taken to mark the event and, for the first time in a very long time, John was proudly in the picture.

GIVEN DAVID A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE

David is an articulate and accomplished young man with a very busy life. Along with running his own small business, he has been volunteering at several community agencies for years. He is also a victim of childhood trauma who spent many years trying to cope with bad memories. Sadly, this eventually led him down the path to addiction.

This past year, David decided that he needed to find a way to come to terms with his past and deal with his addiction because he felt he was in danger of losing everything he had worked so hard to achieve. He knew The Ottawa Mission by reputation, and came to us for help. And, according to David, he has received so much more than he could have imagined.

David came to our Stabilization unit in August of last year, and spent a month preparing for long term addiction treatment. He entered our LifeHouse residential treatment program a month later. He completed three months at LifeHouse and is now back in his own home.

David cannot say enough about his experience at LifeHouse. He says it gave him the time he needed to reflect on the past, and the tools and life skills he needed to build a better life. “I’ve finally found a way to achieve balance in my life. It used to be all about balancing my work and my community service, while not dealing with my addiction, but now there is a third, all-important element – and that’s recovery. LifeHouse is an amazing program, and I am so grateful it was there for me when I needed it.”

David continues to focus on his recovery with aftercare counselling at The Mission. At the same time, he wants to share his experience to help others who are suffering from trauma, so he is in training to be a peer counsellor. He will always be a busy person, but now he looks forward with hope to a much brighter future.

HAS TAKEN LAMBROS HOME

On September 2, 2015, Lambros moved into his own home – a small, clean, centrally located apartment. That may seem like a pretty routine part of life for most people, but for Lambros, it marked an extraordinary milestone in his journey at The Ottawa Mission.

Lambros has suffered from mental illness most of his life. He struggled as a teenager, and became, in his words “the black sheep of the family”, doing drugs and getting into trouble with the law. He has spent most of his adult life in and out of the shelter system in Ottawa, including quite a bit of time at The Mission.

When Lambros turned 55 – two years ago – he woke up one morning in the shelter and came to the realization that if he didn’t do something positive with his life he probably wouldn’t survive much longer. He started attending our Day Program – a daily drop in session for people suffering from addiction – and he hasn’t looked back since.

He moved on to our Stabilization unit where he prepared, for the first time in his life, for long term addiction treatment. From there he entered LifeHouse, our 5 month residential program. Lambros worked very hard in the program, and is proud to say that he has now been sober for almost two years!

Lambros is so thankful for all of the great resources that are available to him at The Mission. As he says, “There is no one you can’t talk to here if you need help. From the front line staff, to the counsellors, to the housing support people – everyone has been so important in my journey. What I’ve really received from The Mission is the gift of my life.”

Lambros remains very focused on his long term recovery – he still attends Day Program every day without fail, eats some of his meals in our dining room, and has access through our clinic to the medical attention he needs to manage his mental illness. Thanks to your support, Lambros is alive and well and
grateful for every day.

YOUR KINDNESS GIVES SHELTER FROM THE STORM

If you live in Canada, you know how challenging it can be to get through the winter. It is not just physically challenging to deal with the bitter cold, but mentally as well. It’s difficult to stay positive and keep smiling when the days are short and the weather is often stormy.

You can only imagine the challenge involved when your only option is to stay at a homeless shelter during the winter months and you are dealing with a different kind of storm in your life.

I was speaking with a gentleman named Bill recently who stayed at The Ottawa Mission a couple of years ago. He told me he arrived a few weeks before Christmas with nothing but the clothes on his back. His son had died the year before, he was dealing with a chronic back injury that cost him his job, and his life had spiraled out of control. He was alone and in crisis.

Bill was given warm clothing from our clothing room, healthy meals from our kitchen, and support from one of our trained Case Managers who helped him navigate problems like getting a bus pass and submitting a disability claim form. Bill says that the daily support and encouragement he received from staff and volunteers at The Mission helped him to get back on track within a matter of months. He’s now living in his own apartment once again.

I know the encouragement Bill speaks of – I see it every day at The Mission where an average of 235 men are sheltered every night. I’m touched by the kindness and generosity of strangers who reach out and want to help someone with donations of warm winter clothing, boots, and food.

Your gifts allow us to shelter people like Bill from the storm.

Thank you and God bless!

Peter Tilley
Executive Director
The Ottawa Mission