There are often questions in the community around how someone becomes homeless. So many assumptions can be made with regard to people’s willingness to get a job, ability to stay in a relationship, their own doing leading to the downfall of their lives and the subsequent demand that society lift them back up.
But what we do not always consider is that homelessness is not a choice, it happens to someone. Mental illness is not a choice; a life of abuse and trauma leading to addictions as a means of survival is not a choice; grief and loss that devastate a soul is not a choice; fleeing domestic violence is not a choice.
Alberta is the domestic violence capital of Canada with 14,000 calls to police in Calgary last year and 16,000 in Edmonton, all as a result of domestic violence. Women and children often end up homeless if they want to stay safe, shelters are full to capacity in an attempt to help and families are challenged with family members couch surfing in their homes to stay alive.
The following is just one idea of what that first brave step can look like when a woman flees an abusive partner.
SHE
She silently watches, wary, alone.
Searching the darkness for that thing she called home.
Seeking that form once friend, now foe
She can not run, there is no place to go.
His breath was heavy, he waited, he stalked
Echoes of screams, where once they had talked.
“Silent”, she said. “Still!” she thought
If not then she would surely be caught.
The new little life, beating inside
Demanded her silent, demanded she hide.
“I cannot defend, I cannot flee
Please my mother, protect me!”
Her hand lay on the belly that grew;
“What kind of life am I giving you?
If I walk now, we both will die,
But never again will I have to cry!”
Again, the little life beating inside,
Demanded her silent, demanded she hide.
“I cannot defend, I cannot flee,
Please my mother, protect me!”
And so she stayed, her loyalties torn.
“If I face him you will not be born,
If I stay silent we both live a bit more,
We’ll have a tomorrow, but God what’s in store?”
And soon he was lying, snores telling of sleep.
And she rose on legs shaking, and began to creep.
Past his form, walking away as a wife
Carrying the only thing worth saving…This new little life.
She fled down the street, house dress and bare feet
She ran without thinking, echoing soles on concrete.
She entered the station, glaring lights, uniforms
She told of the beatings, the fear and the storms.
The officer listened, he cried and he said,
“If you hadn’t left, you both would be dead.
You have tonight, saved two lives, not one.
You brave, strong woman! Well done, well done!”
She again laid her hand on the belly that kept
Her new little baby, and silently she wept.
“We did it my darling, we’re safe, we are free.
I will always protect you my baby, trust me”.
Again the little life, beating inside
rejoiced the silence and the strength to hide.
“I could not defend, I could not flee
But my darling mother, you protected me.”
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Karlos
“I’ve been thinking about maybe applying to a different role here. This is going to sound ironic, but tonight a blind man made me see that this is where I need to be….”
Cristina (my coworker) said this last night. As I was helping a guest with something the DOAP (Downtown Outreach Addiction Partnership) team came in, Cristina spoke with them and then came back to me because somewhere there was a lack of communication. She explained to me “social workers found him sleeping in a park…I don’t think he can see.”
Her and I talked for a few minutes and I was so torn because we are not really set up to help someone who is blind. As we left the office to go talk at the front, I asked God to lead this decision because I really didn’t know what to do. We spoke with all involved and I hate to imagine the DOAP team think they have to convince me, because I felt compassion for this man and want him to be in a the best place possible. I explained to him when they left that my hesitation was nothing personal.
His name is Karlos, although he said only his mother calls him that. He is legally blind, 57 years old, and served in the Canadian military. He doesn’t have addiction problems, but just ran out of money as paperwork was being transferred over for AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) from long term disability.
I didn’t know if I wanted to start crying as he told us he walked through the park that night trying to find a place to hide using his cane, or if I wanted to laugh, as he told Cristina and I we were beautiful because of the sound of our voices.
Throughout the night we got to know more and more about him. And in my mind this goes from a sad story to a victory. Karlos told us how for the past 15 years his cat has been his best friend and his constant companion (the cat went to a safe place when Karlos lost his housing). He also shared how he generally doesn’t spend much time with people, how humbled he feels and how astounded he is that so many strangers have come together to help him.
Karlos will not be in the shelter long, as there is another agency working to get him housed. I’m hoping he leaves knowing he is loved. This whole experience with him has left me baffled at how God can use something like a miscommunication to speak his love into the life of one of his own.
Cristina (my coworker) said this last night. As I was helping a guest with something the DOAP (Downtown Outreach Addiction Partnership) team came in, Cristina spoke with them and then came back to me because somewhere there was a lack of communication. She explained to me “social workers found him sleeping in a park…I don’t think he can see.”
Her and I talked for a few minutes and I was so torn because we are not really set up to help someone who is blind. As we left the office to go talk at the front, I asked God to lead this decision because I really didn’t know what to do. We spoke with all involved and I hate to imagine the DOAP team think they have to convince me, because I felt compassion for this man and want him to be in a the best place possible. I explained to him when they left that my hesitation was nothing personal.
His name is Karlos, although he said only his mother calls him that. He is legally blind, 57 years old, and served in the Canadian military. He doesn’t have addiction problems, but just ran out of money as paperwork was being transferred over for AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) from long term disability.
I didn’t know if I wanted to start crying as he told us he walked through the park that night trying to find a place to hide using his cane, or if I wanted to laugh, as he told Cristina and I we were beautiful because of the sound of our voices.
Throughout the night we got to know more and more about him. And in my mind this goes from a sad story to a victory. Karlos told us how for the past 15 years his cat has been his best friend and his constant companion (the cat went to a safe place when Karlos lost his housing). He also shared how he generally doesn’t spend much time with people, how humbled he feels and how astounded he is that so many strangers have come together to help him.
Karlos will not be in the shelter long, as there is another agency working to get him housed. I’m hoping he leaves knowing he is loved. This whole experience with him has left me baffled at how God can use something like a miscommunication to speak his love into the life of one of his own.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Nothing But Potential
“You look at a potato and see: mashed potato, baked potato, french fries, potato salad, hash browns, roasted potato, potato stew. You look at a homeless youth and see: a homeless youth.”
On a recent vacation, I was struck by this powerful poster campaign on buses and billboards throughout the city I was visiting.
In place of “homeless youth”, insert any of the people The Mustard Seed serves: “homeless man”, “mentally ill woman”, “drug addict”, “prison inmate”… Wider society often overlooks these people on the margins, stereotyping them and in doing so denying them their humanity as beings created in the image of God.
Maybe this is why the prophet Micah was so adamant in pointing out the responsibility of Christians “[t]o act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Ch. 6:8). If justice can be described, in part, as “providing people with the space, opportunity and resources to fulfill their God-given potential”, then this reinforces the need to view all people as image bearers of God, full of worth and possibility.
In this context, what does it look like to “act justly” ? At The Mustard Seed Edmonton, maybe it’s our art night or sewing group. Perhaps it’s our Clean Team- inner city residents employed in taking care of their neighbourhood. It could be Seedworks, which helps people attain skills to reach their employment goals. All of these programs encourage people in discovering and developing their gifts, skills and potential! For communities and church congregations, “acting justly” might look like actively seeking to create and/or become hospitable spaces for people on the margins to flourish.
As the poster campaign so succinctly put it, folks who are poor or homeless often have nothing… nothing but potential.
On a recent vacation, I was struck by this powerful poster campaign on buses and billboards throughout the city I was visiting.
In place of “homeless youth”, insert any of the people The Mustard Seed serves: “homeless man”, “mentally ill woman”, “drug addict”, “prison inmate”… Wider society often overlooks these people on the margins, stereotyping them and in doing so denying them their humanity as beings created in the image of God.
Maybe this is why the prophet Micah was so adamant in pointing out the responsibility of Christians “[t]o act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Ch. 6:8). If justice can be described, in part, as “providing people with the space, opportunity and resources to fulfill their God-given potential”, then this reinforces the need to view all people as image bearers of God, full of worth and possibility.
In this context, what does it look like to “act justly” ? At The Mustard Seed Edmonton, maybe it’s our art night or sewing group. Perhaps it’s our Clean Team- inner city residents employed in taking care of their neighbourhood. It could be Seedworks, which helps people attain skills to reach their employment goals. All of these programs encourage people in discovering and developing their gifts, skills and potential! For communities and church congregations, “acting justly” might look like actively seeking to create and/or become hospitable spaces for people on the margins to flourish.
As the poster campaign so succinctly put it, folks who are poor or homeless often have nothing… nothing but potential.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Correctional Chaplaincy
In my role as the Mustard Seed’s Community Correctional Chaplain, I have the weekly privilege of meeting with inmates at an Edmonton area minimum-security prison. Many of the men I meet are finishing their prison sentences and preparing to return to community life. This transition can be tough, full of difficult questions and emotions.
On a recent visit, I spoke with ‘Pete’, a man who about to undergo this transition. Fortunately, Pete meets each week with a Mustard Seed mentor. He and his mentor are able to explore some of the reasons why he ended up in prison, and they can talk through the anxieties, frustrations, and fears that inevitably come with leaving prison.
Pete told me that, by sharing his journey with his mentor, he has been able to heal some of his own wounds that ultimately led to prison, and feels prepared to start healing the wounds caused by his crime. Not only that, but Pete has begun regularly attending a local church with The Mustard Seed, where he feels welcomed by a life-giving Christian community and by the God it worships.
As Pete updated me on his life, I was struck by the unexpected way that God operates in the world. The mentor’s simple act of listening to someone – someone who had been told he was not worth listening to – is helping turn a cycle of wrong-doing and violence into healing and restoration.
At the Mustard Seed, we hope to be a community where healing can happen, where folks who find themselves on our city’s street or in our country’s prisons can be welcomed as people bearing Christ’s image - no longer simply people with addictions or prison records or without a home, but “dear brothers and sisters in the Lord” (Philemon 16).
- Jonathan
On a recent visit, I spoke with ‘Pete’, a man who about to undergo this transition. Fortunately, Pete meets each week with a Mustard Seed mentor. He and his mentor are able to explore some of the reasons why he ended up in prison, and they can talk through the anxieties, frustrations, and fears that inevitably come with leaving prison.
Pete told me that, by sharing his journey with his mentor, he has been able to heal some of his own wounds that ultimately led to prison, and feels prepared to start healing the wounds caused by his crime. Not only that, but Pete has begun regularly attending a local church with The Mustard Seed, where he feels welcomed by a life-giving Christian community and by the God it worships.
As Pete updated me on his life, I was struck by the unexpected way that God operates in the world. The mentor’s simple act of listening to someone – someone who had been told he was not worth listening to – is helping turn a cycle of wrong-doing and violence into healing and restoration.
At the Mustard Seed, we hope to be a community where healing can happen, where folks who find themselves on our city’s street or in our country’s prisons can be welcomed as people bearing Christ’s image - no longer simply people with addictions or prison records or without a home, but “dear brothers and sisters in the Lord” (Philemon 16).
- Jonathan
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thinking Smaller
As the COO of The Mustard Seed, I can drift into philosophical discussions in the search for large solutions to complex problems. And, as I blog, I feel like I ought to offer some grand rant or quantum idea that will make you feel certain that the problems we’re addressing are well in hand. But the fact is, poverty is mountain-sized and I have only mustard seed-sized faith, so I will instead offer two really small ideas that if we tried, may grow to move the mountain.First, I believe we have to have local responses to poverty and by local, I’m not thinking city-wide. I’m not really even meaning neighbourhoods. I’m thinking as small as my neighbour. To me, one of the biggest things I can do is to know my neighbours well enough to listen for their challenges. If I can respond compassionately to the issues facing Matt and Candace and Chuck and Wendy I can support them if the cruel cloud of poverty descends on them. Equally, if they take note of my family and our needs, I wonder if we couldn’t step into the growing gap between the rich and poor by simply living attentively to our neighbours. Think of it: what if when Matt loses his job he knows that we will co-purchase groceries that month, help with child care and listen into the evening about the loss of dignity in their struggles through poverty.
My second small idea is to stop taking seconds. I know, sounds crazy but there is a macroeconomic challenge when I consume more than my share. Think of it on the smallest of scales: if you came to dinner at my home, wouldn’t it be outlandish if I served myself first, then enjoyed seconds only to leave you crumbs for your first portion? In this tiny act I set in motion the very large notion of scarcity. As consumers, we need to be mindful as we make our purchasing decisions: do I have I a right to a second home when my homeless neighbour has none?
Please don’t think of me as trite or Pollyanna. The fact is that root cause of poverty are enormous and the complexities involved in offering hope to those who are homeless, colossal. As we begin this week, with the hope in us to change the world, I want to give the gift of these seed sized idea and see what might grow from there. Think of it, if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we might move this mountain.
What’s your very best seed-sized idea?
Friday, September 16, 2011
Faces of The Seed: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
I love photos. I love taking them and looking at them. I love the stories that they tell with using no words. So in light of that, I hope you enjoy today's post. These are the beautiful people that I get to work with on a daily basis they have taught me more about strength, resiliency and the power of giving than anyone else.
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| You are Like Family to Me |
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| Beloved |
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| Passion |
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| Soul Food |
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| Many Hands Make Light Work |
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| You Make My Day Brighter |
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| Hands & Feet |
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| Weary |
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Put Me In, Coach!
Hi, I'm Eric and I'm filling in for Lydia today from the Employment department in Calgary.
As an Employment Coach you never know what a day at The Mustard Seed Employment Centre will involve. Obtaining a job can be stressful and hard work, and my job as an Employment Coach is to help clients work through that process. Some of our clients need help sprucing up their resume, or practicing answering basic interview questions. Some clients simply need you to be present at an interview to provide that extra bit of confidence in order to impress an employer.
Every day can involve a lot of different emotions for an Employment Coach. Sometimes I come into the office and have a voicemail telling me that an employer is considering letting go of one of my clients because he got his first paycheque and spent it on something illicit. But, thankfully, more often I come in and have a message from one of my clients saying that they have an interview at a restaurant or they got a job in a manufacturing plant.
Recently I had the opportunity to go with a client to an interview with a major Calgary employer. I was there to support my client but she really didn’t need me there. She was confident and made a compelling case that she would be a reliable and valuable employee for this company. They hired her on the spot after a very short interview. It’s moments like these where a guest has chosen to change their life, and take the scary step of finding employment that makes my job fulfilling. The role that an Employment Coach plays can be large or small with our guests but all that matters is that we continue to plant little seeds of hope in as many guests’ lives as possible.
- Eric
As an Employment Coach you never know what a day at The Mustard Seed Employment Centre will involve. Obtaining a job can be stressful and hard work, and my job as an Employment Coach is to help clients work through that process. Some of our clients need help sprucing up their resume, or practicing answering basic interview questions. Some clients simply need you to be present at an interview to provide that extra bit of confidence in order to impress an employer.
Every day can involve a lot of different emotions for an Employment Coach. Sometimes I come into the office and have a voicemail telling me that an employer is considering letting go of one of my clients because he got his first paycheque and spent it on something illicit. But, thankfully, more often I come in and have a message from one of my clients saying that they have an interview at a restaurant or they got a job in a manufacturing plant.
Recently I had the opportunity to go with a client to an interview with a major Calgary employer. I was there to support my client but she really didn’t need me there. She was confident and made a compelling case that she would be a reliable and valuable employee for this company. They hired her on the spot after a very short interview. It’s moments like these where a guest has chosen to change their life, and take the scary step of finding employment that makes my job fulfilling. The role that an Employment Coach plays can be large or small with our guests but all that matters is that we continue to plant little seeds of hope in as many guests’ lives as possible.
- Eric
Monday, September 12, 2011
Bless Your Heart
I struggled a bit with this post, wondering which was the best topic to write about today. One thing kept coming to mind though, so buckle your seat belts and grab the Gravol; you're in for a ride.
That was an outright lie, but I hope you brought refreshments again. Maybe a Powerbar or something.
I've been working at The Mustard Seed for just over 5 years now. I feel like I started here when I was 15. Working here brings with it a set of conversation topics I had never broached before my tenure here. When you're stuck in a smalltalk situation with nothing to say, mentioning that you work at The Mustard Seed always cures that immediately. Sometimes in awkward situations, and I'm always awkward, I just want to blurt out "I WORK AT THE MUSTARD SEED" in the most quiet of moments, simply because it's the fail-safe way to get people talking.
The conversations range from things like NIMBY (which I chatted about on Saturday) to what our services are, to the 10-yr plan, panhandling, bottle picking, why don't people just get jobs, how much does it cost the system for people to remain homeless etc. I also get people overwhelmed with emotion, repeating "bless your heart," as though they'd never thought people worked here and what an astonishing thing it is. Really, I want to tell them I work in an office and my heart actually isn't actually 9-sizes larger then theirs.
Anyway, the wealth of conversations I've had in the last 5 years (outside of work) is startling. My point here, with this post is - if you met someone for the first time, and asked where they work and they said The Mustard Seed, what would your next sentence be?
That was an outright lie, but I hope you brought refreshments again. Maybe a Powerbar or something.
I've been working at The Mustard Seed for just over 5 years now. I feel like I started here when I was 15. Working here brings with it a set of conversation topics I had never broached before my tenure here. When you're stuck in a smalltalk situation with nothing to say, mentioning that you work at The Mustard Seed always cures that immediately. Sometimes in awkward situations, and I'm always awkward, I just want to blurt out "I WORK AT THE MUSTARD SEED" in the most quiet of moments, simply because it's the fail-safe way to get people talking.
Anyway, the wealth of conversations I've had in the last 5 years (outside of work) is startling. My point here, with this post is - if you met someone for the first time, and asked where they work and they said The Mustard Seed, what would your next sentence be?
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Follow me to Housing
Greetings! My name is Nic, I work with the Mustard Seed’s Rehousing department. My role is to advocate for housing on behalf and with the guests of the Mustard Seed. I’ve worked with The Mustard Seed for about 1 year, but was involved for 3 years prior to that as a volunteer.
In response to Calgary’s goal to end homelessness, The Mustard Seed has focused on three areas; basic services, housing and employment. These areas of support are addressed in order to guide people to long-term, sustainable housing. This work is justice, mercy and, I think, it’s restorative. Every month I see individuals ‘restored’ just a little and I see mercy extended to those in need. I see people find home!
Truly, this work of justice comes with its moments of disappointment and discouragement, but it is never-the-less an opportunity for restoration. I have this opportunity to see individuals and communities and even my city come together with passion to insure that there is always hope for recovering from poverty and isolation. Because of the work I do, I realize more and more every day that we are all unworthy and, paradoxically, worthy. Knowing my own unworthiness, I see the need to extend grace and help to those who need it most. Realizing my inherent worthiness, it becomes energizing to watch people get keys to their own home for the first time. The efforts to address homelessness belong to the community! For the first time in a long time we’re taking radical steps to change homelessness in my community (Calgary), we’re blessed with involvement from volunteers, staff, other agencies, property owners and landlords to make this work of justice happen!
Thank you!
In response to Calgary’s goal to end homelessness, The Mustard Seed has focused on three areas; basic services, housing and employment. These areas of support are addressed in order to guide people to long-term, sustainable housing. This work is justice, mercy and, I think, it’s restorative. Every month I see individuals ‘restored’ just a little and I see mercy extended to those in need. I see people find home!
Truly, this work of justice comes with its moments of disappointment and discouragement, but it is never-the-less an opportunity for restoration. I have this opportunity to see individuals and communities and even my city come together with passion to insure that there is always hope for recovering from poverty and isolation. Because of the work I do, I realize more and more every day that we are all unworthy and, paradoxically, worthy. Knowing my own unworthiness, I see the need to extend grace and help to those who need it most. Realizing my inherent worthiness, it becomes energizing to watch people get keys to their own home for the first time. The efforts to address homelessness belong to the community! For the first time in a long time we’re taking radical steps to change homelessness in my community (Calgary), we’re blessed with involvement from volunteers, staff, other agencies, property owners and landlords to make this work of justice happen!
Thank you!
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Take me out to the ball game
Recently, I attended one of The Mustard Seed's baseball games. Those who come to The Mustard Seed have played the sport in a city-wide baseball league for nine years. The experience was great for our clients.
When I first arrived, I met Rick, who joyfully said, "We've had a good run. Everyone's having lots of fun."
Of course, that was the whole point: fun. No matter what the weather, that's how our team felt. One minute they were playing in the rain. The next minute, the sun came out for everyone to enjoy. And, a fun game of baseball was just one way to help them build community in their lives.
Did I mention that Rick is looking forward to getting a place of his own soon? While it's easy to think that all of our clients are homeless, some of them are working poor, like Rick. They are working but are lonely, or they don't have enough money to make ends meet.
While Rick used to have evening meals once upon a time, that's not all The Mustard Seed provides him with now. The Mustard Seed is still growing hope and building community right out there on the baseball field. That support network makes our clients feel valued, supported, and worthy of achieving more.
I will never forget the smile of Rick and the other clients who were cheering on the sidelines that night. They were happy, carefree, and knew that someone cared about them. Sometimes that's all that's needed to make all the difference in the world. It's important to remember that we can all make a difference. What other small things can you do to make an important difference in our community?
When I first arrived, I met Rick, who joyfully said, "We've had a good run. Everyone's having lots of fun."
Of course, that was the whole point: fun. No matter what the weather, that's how our team felt. One minute they were playing in the rain. The next minute, the sun came out for everyone to enjoy. And, a fun game of baseball was just one way to help them build community in their lives.
Did I mention that Rick is looking forward to getting a place of his own soon? While it's easy to think that all of our clients are homeless, some of them are working poor, like Rick. They are working but are lonely, or they don't have enough money to make ends meet.
While Rick used to have evening meals once upon a time, that's not all The Mustard Seed provides him with now. The Mustard Seed is still growing hope and building community right out there on the baseball field. That support network makes our clients feel valued, supported, and worthy of achieving more.
I will never forget the smile of Rick and the other clients who were cheering on the sidelines that night. They were happy, carefree, and knew that someone cared about them. Sometimes that's all that's needed to make all the difference in the world. It's important to remember that we can all make a difference. What other small things can you do to make an important difference in our community?
Friday, September 02, 2011
The Pleasure of Prayer
Hi, I’m Yasha, and I work frontline at The Mustard Seed Edmonton.
There is this sense of stinging heaviness on your soul seeing somebody crying to you for help--completely desperate. What do you do when someone comes to you, broken and mournful? No, they are not looking for food, nor are they looking for clothing, and not even a blanket.
I had a slightly intoxicated man, we will call him Gordon, approach me while we were handing out bagged lunches during ‘clean-up days’ at The Mustard Seed Edmonton. Gordon asked me, “Hey man, can you pray for me?” I responded that it would my pleasure. I have been only working at The Mustard Seed for about three months now, and this was my first personal prayer request. While asking Gordon what he wanted me to pray about, Gordon began weeping uncontrollably.
For a short period of time I have provided basic services and necessities to assist the community at The Mustard Seed Edmonton for daily and short-term needs. Now here is a man asking me to plead with God on behalf of him. E.M. Bounds once said, “By prayer, the ability is secured to feel the law of love, to speak according to the law of love, and to do everything in harmony with the law of love... Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God's work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God's work.” This experience has led me to one conclusion: we desperately need to pray. Psalm 62: 5-7
There is this sense of stinging heaviness on your soul seeing somebody crying to you for help--completely desperate. What do you do when someone comes to you, broken and mournful? No, they are not looking for food, nor are they looking for clothing, and not even a blanket.
I had a slightly intoxicated man, we will call him Gordon, approach me while we were handing out bagged lunches during ‘clean-up days’ at The Mustard Seed Edmonton. Gordon asked me, “Hey man, can you pray for me?” I responded that it would my pleasure. I have been only working at The Mustard Seed for about three months now, and this was my first personal prayer request. While asking Gordon what he wanted me to pray about, Gordon began weeping uncontrollably.
“My friend,” he said, “I am sixty one years old and I am going down, down, down, down. I have never done anything right, and I keep putting myself in this mess.” As tears streamed down his face, Gordon looked at me for prayer.
For a short period of time I have provided basic services and necessities to assist the community at The Mustard Seed Edmonton for daily and short-term needs. Now here is a man asking me to plead with God on behalf of him. E.M. Bounds once said, “By prayer, the ability is secured to feel the law of love, to speak according to the law of love, and to do everything in harmony with the law of love... Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God's work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God's work.” This experience has led me to one conclusion: we desperately need to pray. Psalm 62: 5-7
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Mustard Seed Shelter
Hello, hello there!
My name is Lacey and I’m one of the overnight team leaders at The Mustard Seed Shelter. This month marks my two years working at this lovely place. I’m very excited to share some of my experiences with you through this blog.
When I was 17, I went on a trip with my church to East Hastings in Vancouver and God drastically changed my attitude towards homeless people, and along with it my life. I went from crossing the street for fear of someone who looked homeless to approaching and offering a greeting.
Our shelter has capacity to serve 370 people a night. We offer food, a place to sleep, access to clothing, showers and a locker to store belongings.
It’s hard to describe what I do at the shelter because it’s so much more than the basic services I mentioned above. Staff are actively involved in building relationships with guests; we do our best to support them during crisis and as they move towards better choices. Sometimes that means discussing a struggle with addiction, a referral for a mental health assessment, directing someone towards the employment center or working with a guest towards housing or it can be as simple as verbalizing that this guest is cared about.
"Remember that the poor are people with names," writes Bryant Myers, author of Walking With the Poor, "people to whom God has given gifts, and people with whom and among whom God has been working before we even know they are there."
This is one of my favourite quotes and I look forward to sharing with you some of the ways I see God working among the homeless at The Mustard Seed.
My name is Lacey and I’m one of the overnight team leaders at The Mustard Seed Shelter. This month marks my two years working at this lovely place. I’m very excited to share some of my experiences with you through this blog.
When I was 17, I went on a trip with my church to East Hastings in Vancouver and God drastically changed my attitude towards homeless people, and along with it my life. I went from crossing the street for fear of someone who looked homeless to approaching and offering a greeting.
Our shelter has capacity to serve 370 people a night. We offer food, a place to sleep, access to clothing, showers and a locker to store belongings.
It’s hard to describe what I do at the shelter because it’s so much more than the basic services I mentioned above. Staff are actively involved in building relationships with guests; we do our best to support them during crisis and as they move towards better choices. Sometimes that means discussing a struggle with addiction, a referral for a mental health assessment, directing someone towards the employment center or working with a guest towards housing or it can be as simple as verbalizing that this guest is cared about.
"Remember that the poor are people with names," writes Bryant Myers, author of Walking With the Poor, "people to whom God has given gifts, and people with whom and among whom God has been working before we even know they are there."
This is one of my favourite quotes and I look forward to sharing with you some of the ways I see God working among the homeless at The Mustard Seed.
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