Author Archives: The Ottawa Mission

Working together to help people in need

The Ottawa Mission couldn’t help as many people as it does without a lot of support from the community. That support comes in many forms – there are donors who help with financial support; volunteers who help with the day to day hands on work; and other organizations in the community who partner with The Mission to help people in need connect with the vital services that help them lead a healthier and happier life. Continue Reading…

Ottawa Mission adds seven hospice beds for homeless

By Paula McCooey, Ottawa Citizen August 17th, 2015

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Article Summary

Ottawa Mission adds seven hospice beds for homeless

Paula McCooey, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 17, 2015 | Last Updated: August 17, 2015 6:55 PM EDT

The Ottawa Mission is expanding its Diane Morrison Hospice to 21 beds from 14 to give more homeless people the support and dignity they need in their final days.

The extra seven beds inside the renovated space at 53 Daly Ave., next to the Mission on Waller Street, mean those with life-threatening illnesses will not have to suffer alone, Marg Smeaton, the Mission’s manager of health services, said Monday.

“We’re seeing our clients that are coming in that haven’t had any medical intervention, who don’t have anyone that is looking after them, who have really complicated medical needs,” said Smeaton, who says clients are in their 20s to their 80s. “And so when we bring them in, it’s often for longer period of time that they are with us — palliative but chronic palliative.”

The centre opened in 2001 and provides 24-hour care. Through a partnership with Ottawa Inner City Health, nurses, client-care workers and other health professionals offer patients physical, emotional and spiritual support at every stage.

The expansion is funded through the Ottawa Mission Foundation and Telus.

Smeaton said the need for growth is due in part because of a lack of affordable housing in the city. With hospitals taxed, the 14-bed centre was always at capacity.

“There are people that had high medical needs that had nowhere else to go,” she says. “I guess they could sit in a hospital ward, but that doesn’t provide somebody with dignity of life that they deserve at the end of their life.”

Compassion and understanding are necessary when treating patients who have lived most of their lives on the street, she said. As well, because patients have typically encountered other Mission services such as its shelter, its learning centre and its primary care service, the move to the hospice — as opposed to another facility — is less intimidating.

“They are already part of the community here, so it’s really easy to say, ‘If you need more care we can provide it,’ ” Smeaton said.

Filomeno Comes Home

Filomeno arrived in Canada as a refugee from Angola in April 2014. After several months he still lacked the proper paperwork to enable him to seek employment, and his housing arrangements fell through. This young man had always worked hard, and he was heartbroken at the thought of being homeless. Someone suggested that he seek shelter at The Ottawa Mission, and Filomeno has not looked back! Continue Reading…

Discovery U” celebrates 10 years

This week, The Ottawa Mission will hold a celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of a unique program that has touched a lot of lives.

Discovery University allows people who are homeless or living on low incomes the opportunity to participate in non-credit, university-level Humanities and Social Sciences courses at no cost. Continue Reading…

Small Steps… Giant Leaps

Among the many services offered at The Ottawa Mission, our Client Services Centre provides people with the opportunity to meet their educational goals or gain skills that will help them find employment. There was a special celebration this week at The Mission as staff and clients got together to mark some important milestones in both areas. Continue Reading…

SUMMER AT THE MISSION

As the summer months approach, many of us are making plans for family trips, visits to the cottage, or “staycations”. For the people served by The Ottawa Mission, however, the summer months are just like any other time of the year. People are still hungry and hurting and have nowhere else to turn. They still need our help every day.  Continue Reading…

A Giving Community

At The Ottawa Mission, people of all ages and backgrounds take time out of their busy schedules to help people in need. Some are fortunate to work for companies and organizations that foster the spirit of giving back, and they come in as a group to volunteer. This month, there are a couple of prime examples of how these volunteer groups make a big impact. Continue Reading…