It has been an extremely busy and positive year for the Street Ministry. After a year of filling out and filing forms for 30 of our homeless friends, attending numerous meetings with local government officials and neigbourhood residents, we have housed 11 of our homeless brothers in the Dunbar Housing unit. We have also housed 4 in other city housing.
St. Philip’s and friends knitted 51 blankets, one for each of the 51 apartments in the Dunbar Housing unit. A successful drive by our 3 parishes, St. Philip’s, St. Anslems, and St. Helen’s, equipped the units with necessities, such as bed linens, cooking utensils, laundry supplies, etc. We also provided each of our 11 gents with $100.00 gift certificates for No Frills Grocers. The men took great joy in shopping to fill their refrigerators and larders. Now that our friends are settling in we continue to support them with daily visits.
Plans are in the works for sponsoring activities for the apartment complex, and also assisting tenants in filling out and filing tax forms, etc. The diocese has granted us funding through the Care+Share program to offer fellowships to 2 students for part time work with the ministry. These students will be responsible for coordinating efforts with government agencies, developing programs for training, and developing training materials.
The Street Ministry continues with those still homeless. Each week we minister to a few new folks, along with those already known to us. It is a rewarding ministry for all involved.