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Tag: Reflections

Open Hearted Work

Roger Gilbert September 1, 2025

I have worked for 25 years in many roles with agencies and services providing support to the community and particularly to those most vulnerable and marginalized. It was always a calling for me from an early age. Throughout those years I worked with so many wonderful people and had experiences and growth from the community I was present with. While the work was always well intentioned, there were systemic blockages which hindered truly aligned work. You could feel the blockages and the dissonance it created for individuals – a dissonance between your work-self and your true-self.

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The Growing Tragedy of Fentanyl and the Potential for Recovery

Sam Quinones September 1, 2025

The following text is reprinted from the Dreamland Newsletter report on the Kensington area in Philadelphia, PA

I’ve been several times to the district in Philadelphia where dealers awaken their customers each morning with cries of free “Samples!” Kensington was once all about heroin. But fentanyl has taken over and addicts are frozen in bizarre positions — “Kensington yoga,” as it’s called.

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Spiritual Care in Small Things

John Lougheed June 1, 2025

One of my mentors in ministry was the late Father Bernie Hayes, of the local Roman Catholic community. I remember him saying in a wedding homily: “You know I’ve never been married…” and amidst the gales of laughter, with his great sense of timing, Bernie added: “But, I hear it is hard work…and worth the effort!” This remarkable gathering tonight reminds us all that building community is hard – and at times, fun! – work together, and is always worth the effort.

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Change Over Time

Stephanie Mancini September 20, 2024

We are starting to get ready for the Point in Time (PiT) count, which is a national coordinated effort to take a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in one night. It is important to recognize the many ways that homelessness is increasing in our communities, especially for people just trying to cope as best they can. Encampments demonstrate that we no longer have an effective social structure response to homelessness.

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Resentment by Moralism

Zack Mason September 20, 2024

In our society we value kindness, and a person’s moral standing is often based on how socially aware they are. The problem that speaking to Brenda showed me is that sometimes we become dependent on other people for our moral value, and therefore, our self concept. The way our actions are perceived by others becomes more important than the actions themselves. In order to preserve our value and virtue, we objectify those around us. By being overly socially aware, polite for politeness’ sake, we use the people around us as ladder rungs towards moral superiority.

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Voices of Hope, Courage, and Determination

The Working Centre June 1, 2024

As part of the 35th Mayors’ Dinner, workers in the field of employment counselling, settlement support, shelter and homelessness supports, and workers involved in climate change and environmental projects were invited to share their experiences, stories and perspectives.

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Voices from Tent City

Zack Mason March 1, 2024

Our homelessness crisis is a symptom of a sick, disconnected community. I believe that communities are built, both on the stories they tell, and the ones they refuse to tell. When we know one another, we become closer to each other, we inspire empathy, we inspire action.

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2023: A Year of Strong Community Action

The Working Centre December 1, 2023

Throughout the winter our focus was on safe and warm shelter spaces. We are now able to provide 100 beds at the King St. Emergency Shelter and 80 beds at University Ave (UA) residence. Both locations include a food servery, washrooms, showers, laundry, primary healthcare, and housing supports.

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Remembering the Wise Words of Anna Kaljas

The Working Centre December 1, 2023

“I was taught that giving is better than receiving and that we’re here to help our fellow sojourners, not ignore them when they are in difficulty” In these times of multiple challenges and crises, we reflect upon the work, lived experience, and compassion of Anna Kaljas.

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The Integrated Circle of Care is a fluid and collaborative approach followed by workers from different agencies weaving through St. John’s Kitchen. Within this approach, staff members from each agency are aware of their specific personal roles. However, the high level of collaboration between workers means that people can approach any worker, without knowing their agency association or specific role, and still receive support – either that worker will support the person directly, or they will introduce the person to another worker who can support the person more appropriately.

This approach makes relationships more natural and support more accessible. Workers from different agencies are easily approachable, meaning that people build relationships with multiple workers. Having relationships with different workers is important to a person’s support – it makes support from a trusted source easy to find, and means that people have a choice of worker to approach in any given situation.

In order to maintain a circle of care around a person, workers from different agencies ask for consent from the person for information to be shared between workers. Continuous communication between workers helps to ensure that people do not fall into gaps between services, and also that services are not duplicated.

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