Portraits of The Ottawa Mission: Karen Bailey

September 30, 2022 – October 16, 2022
The Ottawa Art Gallery

This year The Ottawa Mission celebrates the 100th anniversary of the addition of a brick wing to the “Stonehouse” building at the corner of Daly and Waller. Since that time, tens of thousands of people have entered through the famous “blue door”, so recognizable as a haven for those needing support, whether it be for emergency or longer term assistance to help them reclaim their lives. To commemorate this milestone, The Mission has partnered with the Ottawa Art Gallery and the artist Karen Bailey to profile the faces that have shaped our shelter over the years with a portrait exhibition to tell the stories of our clients, staff colleagues, volunteers, service partners and supporters through their faces and interactions with each other.

When we think of a portrait, pictures of prime ministers, presidents, athletes, actors, scientists, and others whose stature confers recognition often come to mind. Visibility can sometimes be taken to be the same as importance: subjects must be important to be “worthy” of a portrait.

These 31 portraits extend a key principle of our shelter: each person has inherent dignity by virtue of being human, and each person is worthy of unconditional acceptance, respect, attention and compassion. Through this exhibition, we discover their rich and meaningful stories together.

As a nationally recognized artist, Karen Bailey is a painter who focuses on unrepresented individuals, communities, and why their stories are important. Karen’s sensitive and empathetic brush captures perfectly those who have turned to The Mission for help, those who have provided it, and the profound connections between them.

As The Mission’s neighbour, the Ottawa Art Gallery continuously showcases the importance of art in our community to realize a sense of meaning, belonging and impact in everyday life. Through showing as well as telling the story of The Mission and its place within the network of community and individual relationships, we are delighted to build on our partnership with the Gallery.

Through these portraits, we show our community that we are all worthy.

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Food Truck Meal Line

Food Truck Meal Line

This is a poignant illustration of the need for food in Ottawa. In the words of one client, “I don’t have to go hungry today.” Food truck meals are prepared at Chef Ric’s, The Mission’s new social enterprise at the former Rideau Bakery.

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Frontline

Frontline

Our Frontline team members are the first point of contact for people who have nowhere else to turn to for help. They respond to the needs of our clients and ensure our guests are provided with comfortable shelter at night.

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Welcome Home: Frank and Corey

Welcome Home: Frank and Corey

Frank and Corey work in The Mission’s Housing Department, which reflects our commitment to a home for everyone as a fundamental human right. Corey began in Frontline and transitioned to Housing to support shelter guests to move into their own apartments. Frank began in Client Services and moved to Housing to support veterans who are homeless or precariously housed.

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Luc, Client Hospice

Luc, Client Hospice

The Ottawa Mission’s Diane Morrison Hospice is a special place where homeless men and women receive palliative care with compassion and dignity. While many patients at the Hospice die within months, others do not. One of these is Luc, whose love for hockey took him to play for the Central Canada and Québec Major Junior Hockey Leagues in the 1980s.

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Peter, Ottawa Mission CEO

Peter, Ottawa Mission CEO

Peter Tilley joined The Ottawa Mission in 2013. Working with The Mission’s board of directors and senior management team, he has overseen the implementation of several ambitious strategic initiatives that have significantly expanded the range of services that The Mission provides to shelter guests and vulnerable community members.

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Interior of Client Services

Interior of Client Services

Client Services were incorporated into The Mission in 2001 given the vital importance of providing employment and education support to shelter guests and community clients to end and prevent homelessness. Until 2019, it also included Housing support services to guests and community clients.

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Day/Hope Program

Day/Hope Program

Day Program is a drop-in group focused on peer support and education while Hope Program is a live-in treatment program focused on harm reduction. During the pandemic, the Day Program has been limited to clients booked into the Hope Program to minimize the risk of infection.

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Joan McRae

Joan McRae

“Our mother had a strong social conscience and was committed to giving back. The Mission was one of her favourite charities,” notes Paul. Joan’s generosity provided hope for countless individuals, including those within our LifeHouse, the middle-tier of our Addiction and Trauma program. After Joan died in 2020, Paul made a gift from her estate to The Mission on behalf of the McRae family.

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Emma in Stabilization

Emma in Stabilization

Emma is the Coordinator of Stabilization, the middle-tier of The Mission’s Addiction and Trauma Services suite of programs, which moves clients who choose to do so toward abstinence. “It can be easy to become homeless because something has gone wrong. It’s not easy for clients to ask for help. I feel humbled and lucky to be part of their stories. Everyone has a story and I’m blessed to create an environment for them to do that.”

 

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“From Despair to Hope”: Shelagh and David Williams

“From Despair to Hope”: Shelagh and David Williams

Shelagh and David supported The Mission over decades and their incredible generosity touched almost every Mission program, including the David and Shelagh Williams Group Counselling Room at The Mission’s LifeHouse live-in addiction treatment program.

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Dorm Room

Dorm Room

As Ottawa’s oldest and largest emergency shelter, The Mission has grown from 12 dorm beds in January 1907 to 177 dorm beds today. Frontline staff book guests in and ensure they are settled in their respective dorms.

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Andrew and Jesse in the Laundry

Andrew and Jesse in the Laundry

Andrew and Jesse are committed to providing a clean environment for shelter guests. Jesse, Manager of Housekeeping, has been with The Mission for 20 years, and Andrew, Assistant Manager, has been with the shelter for 39 years

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Ben in the Shop

Ben in the Shop

Ben has worked in The Mission’s Maintenance Department for over six years. Maintenance ensures that all buildings and systems are in working condition through regular preventative and corrective procedures, as well as planning and upgrading systems to reduce the need for costly and time-consuming emergency repairs.

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Clothing Room

Clothing Room

Clean, warm and respectable clothing provides dignity, self-respect and confidence to people who are homeless and in need. It also provides them with protection from the elements, particularly during the winter months. Having access to appropriate clothing means that residents and community members can access appropriate, seasonal clothing for job interviews, new jobs, weddings, funerals, family gatherings, and other functions.

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Kathy and Peter in the Classroom

Kathy and Peter in the Classroom

At The Mission, education is about more than jobs. It’s also about instilling self-confidence, initiative and drive in vulnerable people through removing barriers and nurturing students. Our education programs bring dignity and hope to students who have previously doubted themselves.

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Wendy, Ottawa Inner City Health CEO and Hospice Founder

Wendy, Ottawa Inner City Health CEO and Hospice Founder

Wendy Muckle is a registered nurse, healthcare manager and a co-founder of Ottawa Inner City Health (OICH) with Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull. OICH was created in the late 1990s to improve access to healthcare for people who are chronically homeless. Wendy has been its CEO since the beginning.

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Diane, former Ottawa Mission Executive Director

Diane, former Ottawa Mission Executive Director

Diane Morrison is fondly remembered as The Mission’s first female Executive Director, a position she held from 1992 – 2012. During her time as Mission leader, she brought forward many innovations to expand the supports available to help shelter guests and vulnerable community members rebuild their lives. Diane’s most poignant legacy is the Diane Morrison Hospice, which opened its doors in 2001

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Anthony, Board Member

Anthony, Board Member

Anthony actively lives his deep faith through many channels. He is the Lead Minister at Parkdale United Church, a position he has held since 1999. The congregation is known for its spiritual vitality, community outreach, advocacy and justice work.

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Mariam, Hospice Personal Support Worker

Mariam, Hospice Personal Support Worker

Providing care to her clients is extremely important to Mariam. “My passion is to help the needy and dying by assisting in daily living by giving care and providing clients quality care so they can die with dignity. By assisting I get satisfaction.”

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Dr. T, Ottawa Inner City Health Medical Director and Hospice Founder

Dr. T, Ottawa Inner City Health Medical Director and Hospice Founder

Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull, or “Dr. T” as he is known, is a cofounder of OICH with Wendy Muckle. After senior positions in medicine, Dr. Turnbull retired in 2017 to be OICH’s Medical Director. He and Wendy approached Diane to form The Mission’s Hospice to provide palliative care to homeless people directly.

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Lesley, Nurse Practitioner, Ottawa Mission health clinic

Lesley, Nurse Practitioner, Ottawa Mission health clinic

Lesley is a nurse practitioner (NP) and has worked in the Mission’s health clinic for the past six years. Staffed by NPs from OICH and colleagues from The Mission, she also confers with healthcare providers external to the shelter. She is also responsible for ordering tests, lab work, and patient follow-up.

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Dr. Tom, Big John and Shannon – Ottawa Mission Dental Clinic

Dr. Tom, Big John and Shannon – Ottawa Mission Dental Clinic

The clinic has a huge impact on those who are in pain, cannot eat properly, and have no access to dental care. It also builds their self-esteem. As Dr. Harle says, “We’re humbled by the gratitude of those who come to us for help. Giving people back their smiles is very satisfying.”

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Food Services Training Program Students on a Break

Food Services Training Program Students on a Break

Teach someone to cook, and they can feed themselves and support others. For men and women wanting to change their lives, the Food Services Training Program teaches them the theoretical and practical skills needed to work in a commercial kitchen.

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New Beginnings with Chef Ric’s

New Beginnings with Chef Ric’s

Chef Ric’s is The Mission’s social enterprise and a community asset for people from all walks of life. Located in the former Rideau Bakery at 384 Rideau Street, Chef Ric’s embraces the vision of this beloved Bakery. Established by the Kardish Family in 1930, the Bakery provided warmth and inclusion to the people of Ottawa for almost 90 years.

 

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Mercy

Mercy

Originally a nurse from Ghana, Mercy fled her home in 2019 because she was about to be forced into a marriage not of her choice. Arriving in Canada, she had difficulty securing the support she needed to feel safe, included and valued — until she enrolled in the Food Services Training Program.

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Monique

Monique

Monique started drinking at age 11. “It was something we did in my family.” She lived with addiction for many years, even as she worked and raised a family. Eventually it caught up with her. “I got up one morning and said, ‘Enough’s enough.’” A colleague recommended the Food Services Training Program, which she began in 2016.

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All Will Be Fed

All Will Be Fed

In its first year of operation in 1906 – 1907, The Mission served 13,440 meals. By 2018 – 2019, that total had climbed to 495,360. By 2021 – 2022 and more than two years into the pandemic, that total had risen to 938,210. To meet this need, we require significant storage capacity for daily and special meals.

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Chef Ric

Chef Ric

Executive Chef Ric Allen-Watson is The Mission’s Director of Food Services and founder of our successful Food Services Training Program for vulnerable community members. He has worked for The Mission for 20 years. As a survivor of homelessness himself, Chef Ric understands paying it forward.

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Lulu, Dorothy and Silvia in the Kitchen

Lulu, Dorothy and Silvia in the Kitchen

Lulu, Dorothy and Silvia work hard to cook and serve shelter guests breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. They also prepare meals for people receiving live-in treatment in Addiction and Trauma Services and the Hospice.

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Jack, Board Member and Kitchen Volunteer

Jack, Board Member and Kitchen Volunteer

Jack has a long history with The Ottawa Mission. He has served on the Board of The Mission for decades, including as Chair and past-Chair, as well as the Board of its Foundation. Jack also served as The Mission’s Executive Director and Chaplin. Jack also volunteers in the kitchen weekly serving meals to shelter guests alongside Lulu, Dorothy and Silvia. “It keeps me honest,” he says smiling.

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Jean, Kitchen Volunteer

Jean, Kitchen Volunteer

After 40 years as a counsellor and social worker, Jean began volunteering in the kitchen at The Ottawa Mission, helping to prepare and serve meals, which she has done for the past several years. She works alongside Jack, Lulu, Dorothy and Silvia.

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