Our Stories
Being at the Centre
Working at the Centre
Volunteering at the Centre
Supporting the Centre
Providing In-Reach at the Centre
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Being at the Centre
A Tramp on the Street
by Hank
And Jesus looked down on Centre 454, said this is the place I been looking for.
A place to come in and people to meet and not be ashamed of being a tramp on the street.
Life can be weary, when your home is the street. And most of the time you have little to eat. But with Jesus on your side you can spiritually grow, and share with your friends the Love that you know. He was Mary’s own darling, God’s only Son.
Once he was cared for, once he was young. Mary, she rocked him her darling to sleep, but they left him to die like a tramp in the street. If Jesus should come and knock at your door, for a place to lay down or some food from your stores, Do bit him come in, don’t turn him away, and God will reward you on the great Judgement Day.
by Mike
Hi, my name is Mike, and I have known and been a client of Centre 454 for several years. I got to know the Centre and the staff just after arriving in Ottawa, not knowing anyone here, and I was made very welcome the very first day. I found new friends and a staff that you could talk to and have them understand the needs of someone whose family was far away. Since that time I have been able to grow and to also give back some of the time and understanding by being a volunteer for various outings, special events, including a beautiful Christmas party. I am now even more involved with the Centre on a day-to-day basis by volunteering and participating on one of the committees. This last year, which was very trying both physically and spiritually, I have had the support and prayers of all the staff and clients and I will never be able to repay them for everything I have received. May all our prayers be granted that Centre 454 continues its great work.
by Christopher Reid
The chaos surrounding the care of the mentally ill on the street is overwhelming. Certain priorities of this particular clientele are not necessarily being addressed in the hostel setting. The hostels are managing/coping as best they can.
Silence is the state that the mentally ill find themselves in in these circumstances; that is they are unable to make the illness they suffer from understood by either staff or other users (who are not mentally ill.)
Harmony is a priority for a mentally ill person. Harmony under the circumstances the mentally ill find themselves in the street is difficult to achieves. Result – aggravation.
The building next to the main hostel where computers are available, along with other resources could, I believe, permit the creation of a discussion group that is open to anyone and focuses on mental illness. Participants who are mentally ill could use it to express their feelings. Other users of the hostel may wish to attend to better understand. Perhaps an established organization/support group for mental illness could be invited to organize and help with these meetings.
by Christopher Reid
I wish to express my feeling about the Centre 454. This place provides me with a location that warms me up in the winter. I rely on the Centre 454 to deal with the cold weather. Often times I have no money and do not want to wander the streets. It is cold in Ottawa during the winter months, and being outside is very hard. Our boots, coasts, gloves etc. are often times very inadequate to deal with the cold.
Also, I enjoy doing art on the weekends. With the help of staff, we enjoy painting. Doing this allows to take our minds off our problems, and to engage in something constructive. I a m very happy to be creative in this way.
Also, I speak to many others who need Centre 454, and are clients on the weekends. They need the company to fight homelessness and to stay away from bad things, like drugs, etc. They like being together. I find this especially true for the women clientele, who are not happy to wander the streets.
Our Centre (Centre 454) is a lifeline. We depend on it, and appreciate it. The staff are informed and willing to give us support.
Please keep our Centre open, I beg you.
Sincerely … (January 2008)
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Working at the Centre
27 Years
by Dave Rayner
I have been at Centre 454 for over 26 years. In that time I have had the privilege to share in so many lives. Poverty, unemployment, homelessness, addiction, HIV/AIDS, are not easy processes to face alone or even with the help of a counselor. To have survived the life history of each individual is the greatest accomplishment.
Together, over the years, I have seen individuals turn their lives around, and integrate back into the community at large.
I have also seen the reverse: the long descent into the destructiveness of drugs, loneliness and despair.
Though I have lived with the dynamic of these fateful twins, the elements of faith, hope and love offer redemption in both journeys.
It is only with the love, compassion and understanding that I have witnessed over the years through the counselors, volunteers, directors, the Anglican Church, the City of Ottawa, and Temple Israel Jewish community among others that Centre 454 has become a safe place to be for the individuals who have found themselves on the street, alone in a room, or hostel. Individuals who seek community and support and who wish to look at the two paths which face them.
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Volunteering at the Centre
by Bev Jensen
In this fast-paced era, there are increasing expectations and demands put on one’s time, energies and emotional resources. It can be exhausting. To cope, many people erect walls and focus inward on their immediate world to make it through. It’s just easier to overlook the broader community and those we don’t know. With this approach, you may “make it through” if you’re lucky, but it seems to me that something fundamental is lost in the process.
Centre 454 is an antidote. The people who come to this Centre and those who work here reflect the truly important things in life: that we are all connected and we are all part of God’s family; that everyone needs and deserves respect, love, friendship, support and hope, regardless of circumstances; and that what we build together is much richer and more enduring that what we can create on our own. The Centre creates a safe place of caring and understanding for everyone. I have learned so much and I am honoured to support them.
Serving at the Centre 454 Dinner
by Wayne Kauk
A number of us from St. Thomas's responded to Guy Bourdon’s request last year to help at the Centre 454 dinner. This included carving turkeys, serving meals and desserts or, in Guy’s case, being one of Santa’s elves and passing out gifts. Gerry Wharton and Jim Hodges worked in the kitchen. The Rector, Leroy Fevang, Al Aiken and I served meals and desserts. I understand Jim and Jennifer Harbord served at the second sitting. I also learned later from Guy that the St. Thomas ACW generously provided some financial support for the dinner. As well as meeting and serving the clients of Centre 454, the dinner was also an opportunity to meet and talk to a number of volunteers, both clergy and laity, from across the Diocese.
It was a great party for the clients of Centre 454 and their friends and families. There was lots of food and desserts and music. As the morning wore on and I delivered desserts to tables, I began to feel more and more like a real helper, talking to people at the tables and to my fellow volunteers. It had been a while since I had served at such a dinner and the warmth and vitality of such service to, as it says in Matthew’s Gospel, “the least of these my brothers and sisters“ began to awaken a Christmas spirit in me that had not been produced from all the hustle and bustle of pre-Christmas shopping and partying.
As the dinner progressed, Maria Hawkins, known locally as the “Blues Lady” had many people up on the stage–kids, adults, clients and volunteers. The audience warmed up to the entertainment and some of the audience began to dance in front of the stage. By this time, I was really into the event and it really was one of my best feelings of Christmas that year.
Two incidents capped the morning for me. One was having Santa Claus wish me Merry Christmas and ask me to pass along best wishes to Carol as well. I thought Santa Claus was one of my old friends from another parish, but then I wasn’t sure. At that point, Leroy leaned over to me and asked how I knew it wasn’t the real thing. Yes, Virginia there really is a Santa Claus whenever people’s hearts open to real feelings of Christmas . . . And, secondly, right at the end, in thanking the Cathedral parish, Maria on stage thanked Christ Church, or did my hearing deceive me and did I hear her thank Christ’s Church, for at the end of the day that was my sense of the experience.
So this year when one of the elves is recruiting volunteers to help with the Centre 454 dinner, don’t hesitate before you say “Yes!”
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Supporting the Centre
By Phil & Carole Whittall
Jesus said: “I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink, a stranger and you received me in …, naked and you clothed me, sick and you took care of me … Whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for Me.” Centre 454 does this. That is why we support them.
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Providing In-Reach at the Centre
By Judy Taylor RN, BscN.
Public Health Nurse
Ottawa Public Health
Providing nursing care to the most vulnerable in our community has been rewarding and yet often distressing. Being part of someone’s life that is filled with chaos and crisis and to be able offer some healing and support has been an indescribable opportunity.
I have provided outreach nursing support to the Centre 454 drop-in centre for many years and have been part of the Centre’s team of dedicated professional and support staff that have influenced such changes in people’s lives. I feel privileged to have been accepted and included by the staff, who have created an atmosphere of welcome, respect and kindness to the many who are mostly forgotten souls. We hope for strength and patience to be able to continue our work.