Pounding the pavement to help Centre 507 to reach more people in need
September 23, 2003
Centre 507 is pleased to announce it will reach more people in need on downtown streets thanks to recently secured provincial homelessness initiatives funding through the City of Ottawa.
Funding for an expanded Street Outreach program has been secured until March 31, 2006. Until now, this service to the Centre’s most needy clients has been part-time – 24 hours per week. It is now offered 40 hours a week by Street Outreach workers Jonathan Lorch and Sonja Prakash.
This service is offered to people in the Centretown area who are street involved and are not ready to access services such as drop-in centres. During 2002, Street
Outreach provided services to a wide range of people on 1,304 occasions.
Street Outreach workers travel downtown Ottawa on foot, exploring areas of need such as streets, alleyways, parks and under bridges. They provide food, clothing, nutritional supplements, hygiene supplies, health information and more.
Homeless individuals are encouraged to use emergency shelters. Those who require nursing care are connected with the Centretown Community Health Centre. Home visits can help some people avoid eviction. All of these services can be a first step toward visiting Centre 507, where people obtain much more support.
With the expanded funding, there is an increased emphasis on home visits and coordination of street outreach services with other agencies and service providers, including the Salvation Army.
Jonathan and Sonja have a zone in the Centretown area that they patrol, engaging regulars, and getting to know others who may be street people, building trust and credibility.
Centre 507’s board of directors and Manager Tracy Davidson are proud of this service, and extremely pleased that it is now offered full-time.
