Chad Comes “Full Circle”

When Chad first came through the doors of The Ottawa Mission over 6 years ago, he was, in his own words, “that guy on that street wearing the same clothes for thirty days.”

Chad was born in Arnprior and has spent all his life in the Ottawa area. He had a rough childhood and struggled with addiction for many years. He arrived at The Mission in the middle of winter with only the clothes on his back. The way Chad has transformed his life since then is nothing short of remarkable.

He spent a month in the shelter, and then moved on to our Stabilization program where people receive counselling and support to get their lives and their health in order before entering addiction treatment. For Chad, his time with us was life-changing. “After years of suffering, I finally felt secure in sharing my pain. The Mission showed me that there’s nothing wrong with me as a human being and they gave me the strength to commit to long term treatment and move on to a better life.” And he has succeeded!

After volunteering and working in the community, and with a deep desire to give back, Chad enrolled in Algonquin College’s social worker program. He’s now one year in, and earning top marks! He got married three years ago, and has bought a house. Chad has moved on to a whole new future.

Recently, Chad came to the shelter for a “full circle” moment – a moment that was very special to Chad and The Mission. He came to donate several boxes of his own clothing so that others will benefit from the care and compassion he received when all he had were “the clothes on his back”.