The homeless have talent

I was reading an article recently about an art exhibit. The art, mostly paintings, was created by people living in shelters.

It made me think of the men and women living at our shelter at 256 King Edward and in our supportive living facilities. You would be amazed at how many talented people we have in our care. And art is just one talent. We have people who can play music, sign, you name it. We don't always see it, of course.

In past years residents, at 208 St. Andrew, a supportive living facility operated by Shepherds of Good Hope, have hosted an event they call Art in the Parking Lot, a cute take on the art in the park events that happen in Ottawa during the summer.

It's very good art and some of our residents have been successful at selling it.

The lesson here is that people are homeless for a variety of reasons. But it has nothing to do with a lack of talent or a lack of desire to be in a better position in life.

Here are a few samples of the talent we have at Shepherds of Good Hope.

2014 Homelessness Report

For the last several years, the Alliance to end Homelessness has released a report on the state of homelessness in the capital.

There was good news and bad news. The good news is that fewer people needed to rely on an emergency shelter last year, although it was only a slight drop. But a drop, nevertheless. The bad news is that those who needed an emergency shelter bed needed it for a longer period of time.

The other piece of news in the report that stuck out for me was the number of families who had to rely on an emergency shelter. More than 700 families in 2014 needed the services of an emergency shelter. Ottawa is often thought of being an affluent city. I won't argue with that. But regardless how strong employment is in a city or how well off the residents are, there are always people who will slip through the cracks. It's a cliche but it's true.

Shepherds of Good Hope knows that one of the answers is to provide more affordable housing, but just as importantly, more supportive housing. Not everyone is equipped for affordable housing. Yes, it gives them shelter, but for the people who have been chronically homeless, they need other supports. They need help with their health issues, addictions. They need coping mechanisms for the abuse they suffered in the past. They need simple life skills, like how to cook, how to shop for groceries, and just as importantly, how to interact in daily situations that we take for granted.

That's why Shepherds runs four different supportive housing facilities -- Brigid's Place, Hope Living, St. Andrew's Residence and The Oaks. They don't all serve the same type of client but what they all have in common is a mix of services that keep them off the streets and offer hope that one day they might move to more independent living.

Barbecue fun

We had a great turnout for the 10th anniversary barbecue for St. Andrew's Residence. All the clients turned out and we also had residents from The Oaks drop by. We also had some neighbourhood residents and some special guests come help us celebrate.

Somehow I ended up on cooking duties. But I had fun. We had burgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, and lots of chips and pop. Thank you to all the people who turned out and to the people who donated the goods to make this happen.

Barbecues are meant to be fun. But they also send a bigger message. A message that we are a community, a community that helps others, a community that looks out for each other. A barbecue on a nice summer day is just a fun, relaxing way to get together. When I speak to the residents, some of whom I don't get to see that often, it just further drives home why I do what I do.

The great news is that this is just the first. Next month we have our big barbecue for our clients. Stay tuned for more details.

Happy Anniversary St. Andrew's

Tomorrow is a special day for St. Andrew's Residence. It will mark 10 years since the supportive living complex opened.

It's an apartment building run by Shepherds of Good Hope for people with mental health issues or addictions but who are capable of living more independently. Staff operate there on an as-needs basis. When St. Andrew's first opened, there was some community concern over how well everyone might get along.

But over the years, residents have integrated well into the community. They have an active tenants association, they grow a beautiful garden every year (it even won an award), they put on art shows in the parking lot and so much more.

When we have our barbecue Thursday, without a doubt we'll be seeing some friendly faces from around the neighbourhood.

Without supportive living programs like St. Andrew's, some of the people living there would end up in the homeless shelter. In fact, that's where some of them started. But all they really needed was just a little help. St. Andrew's does that.

If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by. The barbecue runs from 1 to 3 p.m. at 208 St. Andrews. Help us celebrate 10 years of supportive living.

Solving homelessness

Wow. We posted a story on our Facebook site earlier this week and it has reached more than 1,100 people. It's clear the story is resonating with you. It's about how the city of Victoria is considering micro-housing as a way to reduce homelessness.

During the last year, there has been a lot of discussion about solving homelessness. The latest strategy that has caught people's attention is often referred to as housing first. The idea is you can eliminate homelessness by putting everyone who is homeless into their own home. Maybe it's a rooming house, maybe it's subsidized apartments, maybe it's micro-units.

Last year, during his campaign, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson pledged an extra $2 million to fight homelessness and increase affordable housing. He told the Ottawa Citizen he would like to reduce emergency shelter use by 15 per cent during the next five years.

I applaud those efforts and it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on reducing homelessness.

However, anyone who works with the homeless knows that simply providing a home isn't always enough. Without a doubt, having shelter is the first step to stability. That's why we have supportive living homes Brigid's Place, St. Andrew's Residence, Hope Living and The Oaks. It's why we do more than just run a shelter for men and women on King Edward St. All of these places do more than just provide a roof over someone's head. Depending on which site you visit, the residents are getting support for mental health issues, they're being seen by medical staff, they're being fed, they're being treated for addictions and more. And we're also giving them the skills that will hopefully allow them to live more independently one day.

I won't get into all of the details in this one blog post. But if you want to read more about our programs and services, you can visit our website.

Growing hope

The women at Brigid's Place are going green. They have a plot in the new community garden at Angel Square, located at 40 Cobourg St., also in Lowertown. The women are going to maintain two plots. One is for vegetables that anyone can help themselves to. The second plot will grow vegetables for the 11 women who live at Brigid's Place.

Community gardens work on so many levels. The obvious is that you can grow food. But think of that word community. In a wired world, we sometimes forget that the most meaningful interaction is face to face. A community garden is another way that allows neighbours to meet, to get to know each other, to chat about their day, to share their lives, to produce something together and then to share it.

For the women, it's a great way to spend an afternoon, tending plants, pulling weeds. And when they put those fresh vegetables on the table for dinner, there will be a sense of satisfaction knowing they grew them, nurtured them. The large planter boxes are easy to get to as they're raised off the ground. We're looking forward to some fresh at harvest time.

If you haven't heard about Brigid's Place before, it's a duplex that has been converted into a single home with room for 11 women. Each resident has their own room and they share a kitchen area, computer and a TV area. They also have a small garden in the back with a deck.

The women who live there have experienced very difficult times and still face a lot of challenges. They might suffer from mental illness, have issues with past trauma or be struggling with addiction. This program has been running since 2009 and it's a first step to providing stability and the skills needed to one day move on to more independent housing.

There are lots of activities for the women and the garden is just the latest example. This Sunday at 2 p.m., the community garden is holding its official opening. There will be cakes and refreshments on the front lawn of the Lowertown Community Resource Centre. In case of rain, the event will be moved to inside the centre. If you live in the neighbourhood, I hope you can attend and show your support for the centre and Brigid's Place.

A special celebration

One of the things I like to remind people about is that Shepherds of Good Hope is more than just a soup kitchen and a men's shelter. No doubt those are two very important programs we provide. It's how we started out all those years ago in 1983. It started by letting someone sleep in the church basement at St. Brigid's Catholic Church and giving him a sandwich.

When you take a look at where we are today, it's astounding. We have numerous facilities across the city and we run many programs for men and women. But there is a special anniversary coming up soon for one of our locations.

Next week, St. Andrew's Residence will be celebrating 10 years. It's an apartment where people with mental illness, addictions or other disorders can live more independently. Staff are there to help them gain new skills on an as-needed basis. Throughout the month, the residents can access a number of activities. They have a reading club, bingo, yoga, a walking club and much more.

I'll have more details in the coming days about how we're going to celebrate and about the people who benefit from St. Andrew's Residence.

Getting to Know Our Staff

We wanted to know about how some of our staff and volunteers felt about their work here at Shepherds of Good Hope.  So we asked a few questions.  Here is one response from an employee at 208 St. Andrew Residence.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Interactions and building rapport with the tenants

Tell us something that changed you after working at Shepherds of Good Hope
I never knew that the organization had so many different programs. I always believed it was only a shelter and a soup kitchen.

Was there one moment you experienced while working here that you will never forget?
Each day knowing that myself and team members are making a difference, big or small.


If you would like to find out more about all of the different programs we offer, check out our Programs and Services.