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Shane’s Story is a eight episode blog post where Shane tells her story in her own words.  Each week in December, on Mondays and Thursdays...

People hurry by the large monument every day, most never pausing to look or even acknowledge it. One lonely man, white haired, in torn...

Eva left home in her early teens. Eventually, she became homeless and addicted to drugs. As a young woman on the streets, she was quite...

We had to close our drop-in for a few weeks this summer due to a scheduling conflict with the church we use. I missed seeing our regular...

I have known Skye for 3 years. She was one of the first street-engaged youth I met while doing outreach. I remember our first meeting...

Last year, a woman named Debra contacted me about helping out with the art group. Debra is a busy mother of 2 with a gift of cooking and...

We didn’t get her name:  it wasn’t offered and it was too early to ask.  Maybe she was seventeen, but the hard life on the streets made...

Hidden Homeless: People who are temporarily crashing with friends, relatives or others because they have no where else to go. I have been...

When Laura arrived at art group, she was excited to share her good news–she got her own apartment! After a year or so of couch hopping,...

It was right before my eyes all the time, just waiting for me to wake up and see it! Typical of many smaller organizations, our needs...

When Art, a long time friend of OIM arrived at the office one morning, his famous smile was missing. “You okay?” I asked. “You’ll never...

This past week, Moira, our youth outreach worker got the flu – the bad kind.  After a few days away she thought she could return to work...

Cal’s story (‘Behind the Story’ see history on right) is common in that he is one of many on the streets who has suffered violence and...

I noticed ‘Cal’ on several occasions at the drop in, but I never took opportunity to have a conversation with him until this week. He was...

Following from last week, my friend ‘Jesse’, the ‘small things guy’. So last week at the drop in, I had to call the police and ask them...

Someone gave me a gift of money and instructed to help someone. Nothing came to mind immediately so I tucked it away- and took it out...

I remember very clearly the day when Vern spoke up to support another guy who messed up.  The guy stole something from our office, and we...

Thinking about volunteering?  Just that in and of itself might be enough to change the course of your life! Volunteers are truly the...

I attend St. Albans Anglican Church in downtown Ottawa. We are lucky to have space in the midst of both the Market, nearby Centretown,...

Reviewing our current ‘Christmas trend,’ I see a big build up leading to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of our...