There is an interesting article about a group out west that wants the Alberta government to devote more resources to homelessness in rural communities. (Click here to read the story).
It reminded me that we can make quick conclusions about where homeless people come from. Yes, you will find more homeless people in the bigger cities like Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and so on. But they didn't necessarily come from just around the corner to reach the shelter.
I met a homeless person recently who was from Russell. So how does someone in a small town end up in a big-city shelter? Sometimes it's because they can't find a job in their community, so they come to a larger centre like Ottawa to try to find work. They have the best of intentions, but things don't always go as planned. If you have moved here from a rural community or another part of the country, you can quickly find yourself down on your luck if you don't find work. A lot of people who move here looking for a better life don't have family support. They might not have friends who they know well enough to stay with.
We serve a lot of men and women who are new to Ottawa. A shelter is not their first choice, but often it's their only choice. When someone comes to Shepherds of Good Hope, we don't judge. It doesn't matter how far they have travelled or where they are originally from. It doesn't matter what their background is. They may have been struggling to make ends meet. They might have had what some consider a successful life but for a variety of reasons -- financial, health -- they lost those things and now they are turning to us for help.
During the Christmas season, please think of all the men and women who have moved to our great city to try to make a better life for themselves, to have the things that you and I have. Let's give them hope for the future. Please help.
Showing posts with label women's shelter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's shelter. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Monday, 7 December 2015
We're looking for disposable razors
Everywhere I walk in the Byward Market, I see a lot of young men with beards. These young men are growing beards on purpose and some of them are still going with the man bun. I guess if you decide to wear a beard, you'll make your razor last a lot longer, especially if you're one of those men who doesn't care about trimming his beard around the neck line.
At Shepherds of Good Hope, we're not quite into fashion statements in the same way, but that doesn't mean it isn't important for men and women to have access to those things that will make life a little easier.
One of those things is a razor. We don't think of razors often as something a homeless shelter might need. But we have a lot of men in our care who are looking for work. We also have many men who are part of the Worker Program. This is a program for men and women who are working but have found themselves homeless or who have a strong desire to return to work.
When you go for a job interview, you like to put your best foot forward. You want to make a good impression. You want to go into the interview with some confidence. That can be difficult to do when you're living in a homeless shelter. It can be difficult to do something as simple as shave. Most men I know don't like to shave. But for the men in our care, it's a boost to the confidence, it adds a little self-respect when you can go to a job interview or start a new job clean shaven.
I know razors are expensive. All we're asking for are the disposable razors. We keep them in a drawer and we hand them out when someone needs one.
If you want to donate items to Shepherds of Good Hope, please consider a package of disposable razors. For more details, check out our donation page by clicking here.
At Shepherds of Good Hope, we're not quite into fashion statements in the same way, but that doesn't mean it isn't important for men and women to have access to those things that will make life a little easier.
One of those things is a razor. We don't think of razors often as something a homeless shelter might need. But we have a lot of men in our care who are looking for work. We also have many men who are part of the Worker Program. This is a program for men and women who are working but have found themselves homeless or who have a strong desire to return to work.
When you go for a job interview, you like to put your best foot forward. You want to make a good impression. You want to go into the interview with some confidence. That can be difficult to do when you're living in a homeless shelter. It can be difficult to do something as simple as shave. Most men I know don't like to shave. But for the men in our care, it's a boost to the confidence, it adds a little self-respect when you can go to a job interview or start a new job clean shaven.
I know razors are expensive. All we're asking for are the disposable razors. We keep them in a drawer and we hand them out when someone needs one.
If you want to donate items to Shepherds of Good Hope, please consider a package of disposable razors. For more details, check out our donation page by clicking here.
Monday, 30 November 2015
Donation of purses
I want to tell you about a creative way a group of women donated to Shepherds of Good Hope recently.
Three of the women -- Monica Wright, her daughter Tracey Wright and Tanya O'Connor -- were part of a group that collected women's purses to give to the women who stay at our shelter or in one of our supportive living facilities. But they donated a lot more than just purses. Those purses were filled with donated items that women can use every day. Here's a CTV story on the project.
It's a very clever way of making a donation. We know the women in our care will love getting these purses that we plan to hand out later this month at Christmas. Thank you so much to the group for taking on this project. I'm sure it was fun.
It's a great example, though, of how fundraising can be fun. If you're doing a group fundraising project, set a goal. Hopefully you'll exceed that goal but goals can make a project manageable. For example, the women who collected the purses had the goal of filling the purses with certain items. A school will set a goal of making a certain number of sandwiches in one day. You might hold a canned food drive at your company and ask each person to bring in one can each day for a week. The goal is so easy for everyone to meet. Just one can per day for five days. And yet at the end of the week, everyone will be shocked at how much that adds up to. We'll even pick it up for you.
If you would like some ideas on what to donate, please visit our donation page or contact me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.
Three of the women -- Monica Wright, her daughter Tracey Wright and Tanya O'Connor -- were part of a group that collected women's purses to give to the women who stay at our shelter or in one of our supportive living facilities. But they donated a lot more than just purses. Those purses were filled with donated items that women can use every day. Here's a CTV story on the project.
It's a very clever way of making a donation. We know the women in our care will love getting these purses that we plan to hand out later this month at Christmas. Thank you so much to the group for taking on this project. I'm sure it was fun.
It's a great example, though, of how fundraising can be fun. If you're doing a group fundraising project, set a goal. Hopefully you'll exceed that goal but goals can make a project manageable. For example, the women who collected the purses had the goal of filling the purses with certain items. A school will set a goal of making a certain number of sandwiches in one day. You might hold a canned food drive at your company and ask each person to bring in one can each day for a week. The goal is so easy for everyone to meet. Just one can per day for five days. And yet at the end of the week, everyone will be shocked at how much that adds up to. We'll even pick it up for you.
If you would like some ideas on what to donate, please visit our donation page or contact me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.
 |
| From left to right: Anna Silverman, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation Executive Director, Monica Wright, Tracey Wright, Micah Garten, Development Officer, and Tanya O'Connor |
Thursday, 19 November 2015
Thank you Ottawa Lions of Judah
I had such a wonderful time this morning when the ladies of Ottawa Lions of Judah stopped by to donate a painting to hang in one of the lounges in the women's shelter. (The Ottawa Lions of Judah is a division of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa Women, a group of women engaged in leadership and philanthropy.)
About 25 women had a hand in creating this striking work of art when they were led by local artist Katherine Jeans. The women each painted their own masterpiece to take home but also contributed to two large communal canvasses with the theme of Peace and Cooperation.
The two pieces had been on display at the Jewish Community Centre for several months. A couple of weeks ago I got a call asking if we would accept one of the canvasses as a donation. I didn't hesitate.
Living in a shelter is challenging. Everyone benefits from nice, comforting, uplifting surroundings. And this painting is definitely uplifting.
This morning several of the women and Katherine dropped by to visit the lounge and hand over the painting. Thanks to Katherine's ability to hammer a nail into the wall with her shoe, we even managed to get the painting onto the wall.
About 25 women had a hand in creating this striking work of art when they were led by local artist Katherine Jeans. The women each painted their own masterpiece to take home but also contributed to two large communal canvasses with the theme of Peace and Cooperation.
The two pieces had been on display at the Jewish Community Centre for several months. A couple of weeks ago I got a call asking if we would accept one of the canvasses as a donation. I didn't hesitate.
Living in a shelter is challenging. Everyone benefits from nice, comforting, uplifting surroundings. And this painting is definitely uplifting.
This morning several of the women and Katherine dropped by to visit the lounge and hand over the painting. Thanks to Katherine's ability to hammer a nail into the wall with her shoe, we even managed to get the painting onto the wall.
Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Very special Christmas cards
When I look at these Christmas cards, it warms my heart. Take a look at these photos. These cards were all made by children who stay at the Holy Family Extended Day program after school.
This is the second year the children have made these cards for us to hand out to the women who live in our shelter and our supportive living facilities.
Thank you so much everyone for working so hard and designing such beautiful cards. I know the women who receive them will really enjoy them.
Christmas can be a very lonely time of the year for the people we care for. Many don't have contact with their families. Christmas for many is just another day on the calendar. But at Shepherds of Good Hope, we want Christmas to be more than just another day on the calendar and this wonderful gift of handmade cards helps us do that.
Great work, everyone!
This is the second year the children have made these cards for us to hand out to the women who live in our shelter and our supportive living facilities.
Thank you so much everyone for working so hard and designing such beautiful cards. I know the women who receive them will really enjoy them.
Christmas can be a very lonely time of the year for the people we care for. Many don't have contact with their families. Christmas for many is just another day on the calendar. But at Shepherds of Good Hope, we want Christmas to be more than just another day on the calendar and this wonderful gift of handmade cards helps us do that.
Great work, everyone!
Friday, 6 November 2015
Couture for a Cause
I had the wonderful pleasure last night of attending and speaking at Couture for a Cause, a fundraiser for Shepherds of Good Hope.
The focus was on women's special care unit. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them we are the only homeless shelter that houses both men and women. Every program and service we offer -- managed alcohol program, worker program, transitional emergency shelter program, enhanced support program, soup kitchen, clothing program, etc., -- are offered equally to both men and women. The second thing that often surprises people is the depth and breadth of programs and services we offer. We're best known for the shelter and the soup kitchen but we do so much more.
We have one program that is geared to women only. The women's special care unit provides 16 beds to women who are dealing with complex health issues and/or addition issues. We help them with those challenges and case workers work with them to help develop life skills that will serve them well when they leave the shelter.
We also have 60 beds in the shelter for women and Brigid's Place, a housing first facility, has 11 rooms for women.
Last night's event was an opportunity to talk about the programs and services we offer to women in our care. Thank you to everyone who organized the event which included dinner, a fashion show and a silent auction.
Your support helps us ensure no women is turned away. It allows us to help them build a life of dignity. Thank you.
If you would like to know more about the services we offer to women, please click here. To help women who are homeless, please click here.
The focus was on women's special care unit. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them we are the only homeless shelter that houses both men and women. Every program and service we offer -- managed alcohol program, worker program, transitional emergency shelter program, enhanced support program, soup kitchen, clothing program, etc., -- are offered equally to both men and women. The second thing that often surprises people is the depth and breadth of programs and services we offer. We're best known for the shelter and the soup kitchen but we do so much more.
We have one program that is geared to women only. The women's special care unit provides 16 beds to women who are dealing with complex health issues and/or addition issues. We help them with those challenges and case workers work with them to help develop life skills that will serve them well when they leave the shelter.
We also have 60 beds in the shelter for women and Brigid's Place, a housing first facility, has 11 rooms for women.
Last night's event was an opportunity to talk about the programs and services we offer to women in our care. Thank you to everyone who organized the event which included dinner, a fashion show and a silent auction.
Your support helps us ensure no women is turned away. It allows us to help them build a life of dignity. Thank you.
If you would like to know more about the services we offer to women, please click here. To help women who are homeless, please click here.
Monday, 5 October 2015
Thank you to the women at Quota
The Quota Club of Ottawa held its 18th annual Night at the Races event Sunday night. This year their goal was to raise money for women's services at Shepherds of Good Hope.
It was a fantastic event and I really enjoyed myself. We started off with a buffet meal at 6 pm and then the races started at 6:30. We even got a special treat to ride in the pace car. I met some wonderful people and had a chance to catch up with some people I see here and there around Ottawa.
Although this is the 18th year in a row the Quota Club of Ottawa has held the event, the organization has a long history in the capital. They have been serving the community for 69 years!
We are thrilled with the number of groups each year that hold third-party events to raise money to help us do out work. Thank you to the Quota Club of Ottawa for a wonderful event.
It was a fantastic event and I really enjoyed myself. We started off with a buffet meal at 6 pm and then the races started at 6:30. We even got a special treat to ride in the pace car. I met some wonderful people and had a chance to catch up with some people I see here and there around Ottawa.
Although this is the 18th year in a row the Quota Club of Ottawa has held the event, the organization has a long history in the capital. They have been serving the community for 69 years!
We are thrilled with the number of groups each year that hold third-party events to raise money to help us do out work. Thank you to the Quota Club of Ottawa for a wonderful event.
Thursday, 24 September 2015
What motivates me to raise funds
On Tuesday, I was part of a women-in-leadership conference. One of the stories I shared with the audience was my motivation behind why I do what I do at Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. For those of you who know me, you know what I do. I ask you for money because I believe in what we do at Shepherds of Good Hope.
Regardless of where I have worked, I have always filled my spare time with volunteer work. But when I came to Shepherds of Good Hope and sat at my desk for the first time, I thought, what now? What do I do next?
I knew I had to really learn
about the people I was going to serve. So I made a decision to spend a night at
the women’s shelter. I can honestly tell you it changed my life. One of my motivations was to hear the other women talk to me as if I was one of them.
I remember sitting in the TV room. I talked to a woman who had been there for three months. She had come from a small town. The
problem is once you get in, you can’t get out and that’s all the motivation I needed
to raise as much money as I can every day to help these
people, to help these people find their direction in their lives. It’s one
conversation that made me look at things very, very differently.
The reality is it could happen to anyone of us. I remember as I walked across the street from
my office to the shelter building the angst I felt. This could really
happen. I could lose my job. I could lose my home. I could lose everything I have.
Just like these people on the street. And all I can say is they are people just
like us and they need help. Thank God Shepherds of Good Hope has all of these wonderful
programs to help them.
* * *
To help the men and women at Shepherds of Good Hope, please consider making a donation.
* * *
To help the men and women at Shepherds of Good Hope, please consider making a donation.
Friday, 18 September 2015
St. Matthew students setting an example
Three students from St. Matthew's -- Colleen, Danelle and Winnie -- were at Shepherds of Good Hope on Thursday for a tour. They wanted to see exactly what we do and who we help. They were so impressed that after they finished their tour, they headed to the mall where they convinced a couple of local companies to donate some beauty products to them that they brought back to the shelter to hand out to the women in our care.
This is the power of a tour. I believe when people see firsthand the men and women we serve and the innovative programs we run, they can't help but want to give.
It's also wonderful to see youth philanthropy in action. Too often teens are painted with the same brush in a negative way. Colleen, Danelle and Winnie came to Shepherds of Good Hope with an open mind and were impressed with the services we offer to Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women.
Thank you, Colleen, Danelle and Winnine for your initiative. The women will enjoy these beauty products. I also wanted to thank the two companies that helped the young ladies on their quest.
This is the power of a tour. I believe when people see firsthand the men and women we serve and the innovative programs we run, they can't help but want to give.
It's also wonderful to see youth philanthropy in action. Too often teens are painted with the same brush in a negative way. Colleen, Danelle and Winnie came to Shepherds of Good Hope with an open mind and were impressed with the services we offer to Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women.
Thank you, Colleen, Danelle and Winnine for your initiative. The women will enjoy these beauty products. I also wanted to thank the two companies that helped the young ladies on their quest.
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
Giving hope to homeless women in Ottawa
When I talk about the services we provide for women, a lot of people are surprised we are the only homeless shelter that accepts women. Other shelters will feed them, but they don't give them a place to sleep. There are reasons for that, but at Shepherds of Good Hope, we made a decision we were going to be there for Ottawa's most in-need people and gender wasn't going to be an issue.
There are several different programs we run for women. We have a 60-bed shelter for women and transgendered individuals who are 18 years of age or older.
While they're here, the women have access to medical staff, counsellors and outreach workers. We also have a women's special care unit. It's a 16-bed unit for women with more challenging medical issues.
Although those are dedicated services to women, all of the programs we offer to Ottawa's homeless population are there for men and women. For example, there are women in our Worker Program. There are women in TESP.
Finally, we have Brigid's Place, a housing first facility with room for 11 women. These are women who can live independently but still need support services in place.
Like all of our programs, we staff them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you want to learn more about the services we provide to women or book a tour, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me. 613-789-8210, ext 247. Email: asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.
There are several different programs we run for women. We have a 60-bed shelter for women and transgendered individuals who are 18 years of age or older.
While they're here, the women have access to medical staff, counsellors and outreach workers. We also have a women's special care unit. It's a 16-bed unit for women with more challenging medical issues.
Although those are dedicated services to women, all of the programs we offer to Ottawa's homeless population are there for men and women. For example, there are women in our Worker Program. There are women in TESP.
Finally, we have Brigid's Place, a housing first facility with room for 11 women. These are women who can live independently but still need support services in place.
Like all of our programs, we staff them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you want to learn more about the services we provide to women or book a tour, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me. 613-789-8210, ext 247. Email: asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)