Shepherds of Good Hope is in the news

It's been a good week for Shepherds of Good Hope when it comes to media coverage.

One of the ways to show you what type of impact we're making in the community with your donation is to tell stories. When we can get some of those stories out through newspapers and radio, it gives us a different way to reach you. Lots of people still listen to radio or read a newspaper.

Today, Ottawa Citizen columnist Kelly Egan wrote a column on the TESP diversion program. Some of you might remember that back in June we introduced a new protocol for paramedics. They no longer have to bring a homeless person to the hospital ER. We have health staff at our shelter and we can help homeless men and women with certain needs. I'll let you read the column to discover how beneficial this is.

We also have Alison Sandor at CFRA who profiled the managed alcohol program at The Oaks. This is a very innovative program that has attracted attention from around the world. Again, I'll let you read the story to find out what makes this program so exciting.

I'm hoping that when you read these stories you'll appreciate the impact your donation has on the men and women who have so little but need so much. The three most important things we do with your donation is provide shelter, food and clothing. But Ottawa's homeless men and women need so much more if they are going to find a way out of shelter life and into their own housing.

That's what your donation accomplishes. If you would like to see first-hand the impact your donation has, please call me for a tour of our facilities at 613-789-8210, ext. 247, or reach out by e-mail at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

IBM donates food

A big thank you to IBM in Ottawa. They had a lot of leftover food at an event earlier this week. So what did they do? They got on the phone and called Shepherds of Good Hope and asked if we were interested. We didn't have to think about it. We love getting these types of calls.

We had the food delivered to the men and women who live at The Oaks, a supportive housing facility run by Shepherds of Good Hope. It's also home to our managed alcohol program.

IBM even delivered the food for us which deserves another thank you. We know the men and women at The Oaks appreciated the food. The donation of tacos went well with what we already had on the menu -- chili. It's nice when things line up that way.

Managing alcohol

Last week, Shepherds of Good Hope had a visitor.

Arthur Williams, an MD with the division of substance abuse, Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, was getting the grand tour through our main building on King Edward, and a visit at The Oaks on Merivale.

We're going to have a story later this week on our website about his visit, so I won't give it all way, but let's just say he was impressed, especially when he got the details on The Oaks.

The Oaks is a supportive living complex made up of two apartment buildings on Merivale. The residents come from Shepherds, Ottawa Inner City Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Many of the people living there are part of MAP - managed alcohol program. Whenever I explain what MAP is, people are astounded. Basically, it's a program for men and women who are chronically homeless and severely addicted to alcohol. We don't start off with the premise that they need to get off alcohol. We have the supports in place that if they eventually want to get to that point, we can help them. But think of those three words - managed alcohol program. That's right, we manage their alcohol intake.

We manage their alcohol intake by giving them a small drink every hour. Not everyone gets the same amount. It depends on their current health situation, their weight, their tolerance, etc. When it's time to get a drink, everyone lines up and staff carefully measure out each person's alcohol one by one. By managing their alcohol intake, the clients are healthier. They can stick around in the common room, have a sandwich, socialize or they can go back to their apartment.

Arthur was quite impressed and noted he didn't know of a similar program anywhere in the U.S. As a researcher, these were the type of innovative programs he was looking at. Not only do they help the homeless who have chronic addictions, they also are cost efficient.

If you would like a tour of one of our innovative programs, just e-mail me.

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.

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.

A piano for The Oaks

Lots of people donate items to us. Most times we're looking for food, clothing, toiletries -- that sort of thing.

It's very rare to get a piano. But that's exactly what we got recently. And it was donated to us by one of our longtime volunteers, Andrew.

It took a few days to find some people who could move the piano for us. It's a little heavier than a crate of food. But a week ago, it finally moved into its new home. It's a great addition for The Oaks. Now we just need someone to play it.

If you would like to volunteer by visiting The Oaks and banging out a few tunes, we would love to hear from you. We know the men and women at The Oaks would enjoy a show. Come on over and tickle the ivories.

To volunteer, check out our volunteer page or you can call Stephanie, our volunteer coordinator, at 613-789-8210, ext. 239.

A Message from Dale Pelletier

Today was the memorial service for one of our long time residents, Ronnie.  Ronnie was a resident in many of our programs, most recently, The Oaks. 

Here are a few words from Dale Pelletier, Manager of The Oaks:

As we celebrate Ronnie’s life today at the Oaks surrounded by family, friends, and members of the community who have worked with Ronnie for many years, we remember the man that he was. Many tears and laughs will be shared, but ultimately, the memories of his life will be what is shared and remembered. Ronnie was a man of great dedication to the cause of managed alcohol, as well as, the Oaks program. He was one of a kind and will be greatly missed by his friends and family.