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.