The Neighbourhood Ministry: June Street Outreach Report
Submitted by Mary Lymburner
Monica and I (Mary) met at St. Philip’s. Suzi had arranged everything for us ready to pick up: packets, cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, oranges, bananas, and chocolate cupcakes, as well as bags of clothing and some camping mats and bottles of water.
Our first stop was the fence at 4th and Highbury, where we met T., M. and A. All took food and A. took some for his wife. M. took a sweatshirt. A. would have liked a shirt, but all were too small.
At 4th and Vine we found P. at his usual place selling the Megaphone. He seemed very well. He took food. We saw no one else near that corner.
We drove east along 4th, looked under the bridge ramps and into the park. Seeing no one, we did not stop there.
We proceeded to 10th and Fir where we parked by the VSB Park and loaded up our carts.
At the VSB Park we found J., an older man, in his usual spot by a bench by the sidewalk. He took food and a razor. On another bench we found R. and S. They seemed in good spirits. They took food. R. would have liked sweatpants which we did not have. While we were chatting with R. and S. a young woman came up and asked if we were helping the homeless. Her name was [ ]. She had been told about our group and had come looking for us. She is homeless and has recently put in an application for housing with help from an organization. She took food, a mat, sweatshirt, T-
shirt and a razor, toothbrush and toothpaste.
We walked around the usual Broadway and Granville route, including the lane going south from Broadway between McDonald’s and Jordans, and the east-west lane, parkades off the lane, the area by the library and the Circle K on Hemlock but saw no one. We then went up Granville asfar as the Shopper's at 13th . Outside the Shopper's we met J., a young First Nations man selling his art on the sidewalk. He is housed. He took food.
We then drove west along Broadway. Outside the Safeway at Broadway and Macdonald we found M with his walker. He took food.
We continued along Broadway. We did not see S. at any of his usual spots.
On the south side of Broadway by the McDonald’s at Blenheim we found D., a pleasant talkative but rambling young man. He took food. He is housed.
We then went down Dunbar and checked the Shopper's at Dunbar but found no one.