Author Archives: The Ottawa Mission

When Helping Brings Hope

Bhavesh has been volunteering at The Ottawa Mission every week for the past two years. He recently graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Criminology and hopes to become a police officer. Like many people new to The Mission, when he first arrived Bhavesh had certain preconceived notions about people who are homeless and living in shelters, and he readily admits that his time here has been a real eye-opener.

Bhavesh has volunteered in the clothing room and the computer lab. In both cases, he has witnessed the overwhelming desire of the people he has met to change their lives for the better. In the clothing room, he has seen men looking for a jacket and maybe even a tie – something that might help them when they go out on job interviews. In the computer lab, Bhavesh has been able to work with people to find on-line resources that will help them find a place to live, or show them how to build a quality resume.

Throughout it all, Bhavesh has enjoyed dealing with people one-on-one and getting to know them for who they really are. “Whatever I can do to help is more than repaid by the respect and gratitude that I get back from people who are making a real effort to get their lives back on track.”

We are grateful to Bhavesh, and to all of our volunteers, for bringing hope to those who need it most.

Another Face of The Ottawa Mission

We often try to highlight the struggles of people who come to The Ottawa Mission because they are homeless, or suffering from addiction.  There is another group of people who regularly come through our doors, and Fern is one of them.

Fern has never stayed at our shelter.  He lives alone in a small, subsidized apartment and has little access to the social networks that many of us take for granted.  He has been coming to The Mission almost every day for more than 15 years for meals and to attend chapel services.  The people at The Mission are an important part of Fern’s life, and we feel the same way about him.  He feels at home here and has made many friends.  He is a bright light, and he knows he matters to us.

Fern is also a regular student at Discovery University — where people who are homeless or living on low incomes have the opportunity to take non-credit, university courses at no cost.  His favorite course so far was “Drama Literature” where one of the plays studied was King Lear.  He enjoys the learning experience, and is proud of the certificates he has earned.

The generosity of our donors allows us to do as much as we can to make sure that Fern and so many others like him receive healthy meals and friendship – and never have to feel that they are alone.  On behalf of Fern and many others like him, we thank you.

Gordon’s project at the SSLC

Gordon is a young man who has struggled with depression and mental illness most of his life.  For the past few years, he has travelled back and forth from his home on the west coast to Ottawa trying to find his place in life.    The time he has spent at The Ottawa Mission has finally given him the care and encouragement that he needs to make a positive change.

While he was staying at the shelter, a case-worker was able to connect Gordon to psychiatric outreach services at The Mission’s clinic, and he continues to receive regular treatment there.

Over the past couple of years he has also taken advantage of on-line education courses at our Stepping Stones Learning Centre. Gordon’s goal is to obtain his GED, and we are thrilled to say that he is just one course away from this achievement.

Gordon is now living in the community, but still comes to The Mission every day for meals and school.  He is also working with staff to explore employment opportunities and is enrolled in a custodial training program being offered in partnership with the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

“The people at The Mission have been very kind and helpful, and I feel confident about my future.  I’m thankful for all that is available for me here”, says Gordon.

Recently, Gordon worked with other Stepping Stones students on a project to develop a video game with local software designers David Rust-Smith and Grant McLaughlin. The game is about the men at the Mission overcoming obstacles to accomplish their goals – a lesson that Gordon has learned well. Each game episode tells the story of one of the men involved, through a journey to reach 3 significant milestones and 3 hidden items that have sentimental value to the storyteller.

Gordon enjoyed collaborating with others to tell their stories through the game, which is now available to be played online at ottawamission.com/LifeJourney/.

How one man discovered the art of ascending from depression

By Kelly Egan, The Ottawa Citizen January 18, 2013

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Article Summary

How one man discovered the art of ascending from depression

By Kelly Egan, The Ottawa Citizen January 18, 2013

Richard Cole tries to illustrate life with untreated depression, one man’s descent to
bedrock.

“I once spent an entire week,” he says, pausing as though using an imaginary highlighter, “an entire week, at the Hull casino. Living on coffee.”

No sleep, no gambling, just wide-awake, nowhere to go, nothing really to do but hide from the cold.

It’s just after lunch at the Atomic Rooster restaurant on upper Bank Street. A pitcher of beer is being served at the next table, an early start for a couple of the boys on stools, Seahawks highlights playing on a sports channel.

Cole, 61, is in a corner booth. A thin man, he wears big, windowpane glasses, a cableknit sweater, a newsboy hat. An electric cigarette dangles from his neck.

It’s a good week for him. He is part of a three-person art show that just opened on the walls of the Rooster. It’s official: he’s a struggling artist.

“I don’t have spikes anymore,” he says, moving his hand in a long wave motion. “For the last 14 or 15 months, I’ve been flatlining, and that’s fantastic.”

For a long time, his mind raced, this engine that just wouldn’t turn off. “Up until two years ago, I thought chaos was normal.”

He worked with computer systems most of his life. Banks, the CBC, Canada Post, the feds. He was twice married, but generally unsettled and angrier than was good for him.

He split up with his second wife, had “a nervous break-down.” This was followed by months and months of couch surfing, until he landed, near rock bottom, at the Ottawa Mission on Waller Street. “My life was a muddle.”

He was put in touch with medical staff. Diagnosis? Depression. Cole was put on medication for the first time.

He also began attending the Mission’s day program, an opportunity to talk about his history and outlook, and stuck with it for a full year.

There was a lot to cover. Cole says he grew up in a dysfunctional family where alcohol played havoc. He was four, he says, when his parents decided it would be a good idea to hitchhike across Canada. With him in tow.

He grew up in a hurry, later having to care for younger siblings. “I went from hell to hell in servitude.”

At age 16, now in Toronto, he left the house. He eventually enrolled at the Ontario College of Art, but worked nights at a big brokerage firm, reconciling accounts on earlydays computers. He was good at it.

Computers and financials would be a big professional preoccupation for him for the next decade or two.

He once held jobs in Toronto and New York, commuting to both weekly from Ottawa, where he had a wife and stepchildren.

You bet his mind raced. “I have to fight all the time to get these things under control.”

Dr. Simon Hatcher is a psychiatrist at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre who does rounds at the downtown shelters.

Undiagnosed depression is a big problem in the general population – as many as a third to half of sufferers don’t get help – possibly more so in a hard-to-house population.

“Stigma is a big one,” Dr. Hatcher said, when asked about the barriers to treatment. “Lack of recognition. People who self-medicate.”

The illness also “presents” in ways other than a simple feeling of sadness: poor sleeping, agitation, restlessness, loss of pleasure in regular activities.

There is good news about depression, which tends to be recurring.

“The bottom line is depression is very treatable.” Indeed. Treatment has turned this one man around.

When it comes to art, Cole draws on simplicity. He has on display eight abstract pieces that use a poured acrylic method and simple shapes, often primary colours: a red square against a blue background, a green triangle against a red sky. They don’t have fancy names, but numbers.

The pieces are glazed to look like glossy ceramic. Not so easy to do: four coats of varnish daily for 10 straight days. They sell in the $125 range, unframed.

They are, in a word, joyful, a tone that suits his present station in life, the calm port he’s arrived at.

“I don’t worry about being thrown off the top of the mountain any more. I am the mountain. The top, the bottom, the middle.”

The show continues at the Rooster, 303 Bank near Somerset, until Feb. 10.

Farewell to Diane Morrison, long-time Executive Director

On Friday, January 11, Ottawa Mission staff, residents and volunteers wished a fond farewell to long-time Executive Director, Diane Morrison.  Diane started out as a volunteer here at The Ottawa Mission 23 years ago, while still working as an elementary school teacher.  Within three years she had become Executive Director of the organization, and under her guidance, many proud improvements have been made to serve our clients better.

The Ottawa Mission has become one of the largest social-service providers in the city, growing from 75 beds to 235. We now serve over 1200 meal a day on average, and the cleanliness and quality of food has improved.

The programs offered through The Mission have increased dramatically as well.  We now have a learning centre, job training, addiction treatment programs and transitional housing, a medical and dental clinic, and a hospice where homeless people who are terminally ill can die with dignity.

Diane’s leadership has been a blessing to the people who come through The Mission. Her influence has made it an increasingly compassionate, practical, and dignified place for men who are homeless in Ottawa.

In her final week here before retirement, several news stories were published detailing her time and accomplishments here.  A few of these are linked below.

We wish Diane a joyful and blessed retirement. She will be sorely missed, though gifts of her ministry here will continue to be felt here for years to come. Thank you Diane, and God Bless.

Mission bids farewell to woman who ‘knew they could do better’

By Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen January 08, 2013

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Mission Chief to Retire

By Adrienne Ascah, QMI Agency January 09, 2013

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A New Journey for The Ottawa Mission

2013 will be the beginning of a new journey for The Ottawa Mission – and for me.

Last fall, at The Mission’s Annual General meeting, I announced that I would retire early in the new year.  After much thought and discussions with my family, my colleagues and the Mission Board of Directors, I have decided I will step down from my position at The Ottawa Mission this Friday, January 11th.

I want to thank everyone who has given such generous support over the years to The Mission and to the people in our community who are hungry, homeless and hurting.  Your donations, your time and your prayers bring hope to many, many people.  When I think of the conditions at The Ottawa Mission when I arrived here 23 years ago and look at it now, I am amazed and humbled.  All of the positive changes that have taken place could not have happened without your support.

A hospice was just a thought that I had, inspired by a man named Tim who was very sick and wanted to die among friends at The Mission.  It took a community of caring individuals and over 3 years to make the hospice a reality, and now more than 200 people have spent their last days in loving care instead of on the streets.  Thank you for bringing dignity to the dying.

Dental services were brought to The Mission by Dr. Tom Harle and now people do not have to live in embarrassment because of missing or decayed teeth.  Thank you to Dr. Harle and all the volunteer dental professionals who bring dignity to people living in shelters or on the street.

A medical clinic took two years to negotiate in partnership with Inner City Health – now people in need can receive medical services, and their health improves because treatment is close at hand.  Donations pay for a nurse practitioner, medical receptionist/lab technician, a medical supervisor, management oversight and all operational costs.  Thank you for bringing health care to homeless people.

A learning centre was a dream of mine because I taught school for 17 years before I came to The Mission.  It happened because supporters like you believed that education improves one’s self esteem and chances of integration back into the community.   The school is entirely funded by donations. Thank you for believing in education.

On-site training programs for kitchen and custodial staff succeed because we deal with the barriers that prevent people from being.  We look at their literacy level, their emotional readiness and their learning level.  Many students have gone on to full time work.   We have wonderful partnerships to support this effort but donations cover all direct costs.   Thank you for helping to get people back to work.

The LifeHouse 5-month residential addiction treatment program has been operating successfully since 1993. Many people credit LifeHouse with saving their lives.  This program relies solely on donations.  Thank you for helping those who are addicted and want to change their lives.

If you are a volunteer, we value the generous gift of your time.  Thank you for bringing life, love and the acceptance of the outside world into this space.

2013 will be a year of transition for the organization but with very capable and compassionate staff, volunteers and donors working together, I know the life changing programs and services will always be there for people who are homeless.

My time here has been so rewarding, and this special place will always be a part of my life. And you are a very important part of making miracles happen here. I bless and thank each one of you for your notes, your love and your generous spirit.  Please remember the less fortunate in our community, and continue to donate as you can.

May God bless you!

Diane Morrison, Executive Director

 

 

When Shelter is Not Enough

There are many reasons people walk through the front door of The Ottawa Mission. In the majority of cases, a homeless shelter is usually the last resort for someone in crisis. Some people may only need to stay a few days but there are others who stay much longer – sometimes years. These are people who are called “chronically homeless”.

I’ve been part of a group, along with representatives from other local shelters and the City of Ottawa’s Housing Branch, working on solutions to end ‘chronic homelessness’ in our community.
Our focus has turned to people in shelters who are suffering from mental illness.   For them life is a constant struggle. Living in cramped dorm rooms month after month, even eating with people they don’t know in a crowded dining room can be frightening – but they have no alternative.

Right now, there are 245 people living in shelters across the capital who have been identified as chronically homeless.  The average length of stay for this group is 6.1 years.  Of these, many suffer from mental illness.  Over 50 chronically homeless people are at The Ottawa Mission.  Adam is one of them.  He is a gentle man who has multiple mental and life-skill issues which prevent him from living on his own.  He’s been living at The Mission for 15 years.

Many people like Adam would fit into a housing situation that offers a private room, but includes common areas for skills development and group activities and on-site staff.  With proper support, some might eventually move on to living independently and perhaps, with training, find employment.  The first step is moving out of the shelter.

With your support, The Ottawa Mission, will continue to provide food, shelter and life-changing programs to those in need in our community, and at the same time we will continue to work with the City and our partners to do whatever we can to find a solution for all of the “Adams” in our care.

God bless.

Diane

My First Christmas at The Mission

It was Christmas 1991, and in a homeless shelter a woman staff member was preparing for the holiday.  She was trying to find ways to make Christmas festive for the 67 men who lived there.  Hughie, Horace, Glen, John, Jimmy and the others were mostly older men and alcoholics.  They were often grumpy at this time of year.  Christmas brought back many memories — often involving children and families.

There was little money, but a tree (a real tree) had been donated and it was placed in the dining room and decorated.   Church groups had knit mittens, hats and scarves and dropped them off weeks before.  Some Good Samaritan had donated smokes (a welcome gift at that time).   A small nativity set had been purchased, and the woman knew enough to purchase extra figurines of baby Jesus because the men liked to put Jesus in their pocket, for comfort.

A few days before Christmas, a couple of volunteers came in and wrapped the presents – there were always socks and long underwear in the packages.  The donated turkeys were thawed, local farmers and merchants had donated vegetables, and homemade desserts appeared for the meal.

On Christmas morning, the woman came in for a couple of hours.  She helped serve breakfast and wished everyone a “Merry Christmas”.   The men were looking forward to the Christmas meal and Bill, the regular volunteer, was cheerful and helped to give out presents.  Christmas had come to the shelter, bringing with it joy and hope for a better day.

That woman was me and it was my first Christmas at The Ottawa Mission — the beginning of my long journey with the homeless.   I would like to thank all of you for the wonderful support and compassion you continue to share with me and with this ministry.

May you have a blessed Christmas!  (And who knew that Jesus could live in your pocket?)

Diane Morrison,
Executive Director, The Ottawa Mission