Ottawa's most vulnerable facing 'bleak situation' this holiday season

While the holidays are a challenging time for many, Ottawa's shelters and outreach services say this Christmas is shaping up to be one of the most difficult because of an increased need in the community combined with staffing shortages.

"We had hoped by this time, we wouldn't be in the boat that we're in," saidShepherds of Good HopeCEO Deirdre Freiheit.

The shelter is dealing withbeing near capacityand having fewer staff on hand.

"I think people are worried about the Omicron [variant]. We don't know what the winter is going to look like but we're gearing up to have a challenging winter."

• Pandemic shifting Ottawa's unhoused population onto streets, survey expected to show

She said approximately 75 per cent ofpeople who use the shelter's services are vaccinated, but it's not always the same group of people who spend the night.

For now, the Shepherds of Good Hope is attempting to maintain physical distancing by limiting the number of people allowed inside the building.

Freiheit admits it can also be difficult to build a rapport with people when the shelter is short-staffed. That rapport, she said, is often what clients appreciate most.

The ties that are needed, so desperately needed, for people to survive and thrive and or even exist relationally are being stressed and pressured.- KenMacLaren,executive director of Ottawa Innercity Ministries

Donations also appear to be down this year compared to previous years, she said, althoughthe final figures won't be available until early 2022.

"We're hoping that over the next few weeks, when people are home and thinking about where they might like to make their donation, that they'll think of us as well as others in the community," she said.

The Ottawa Mission hasn't faced as severeharships as other organizations across the city, because of generous donors, dedicated volunteers and strictCOVID-19 protocols, said spokesperson Aileen Leo. Yet, it has seen an increase in need since the start of the pandemic. The organization has given out a record 6,274Christmas dinners already this holiday season and expects to provide hundreds more in the coming days.

On Friday, the OttawaMission alsotried to get ahead of the rapid rise inCOVID-19 cases by holding avaccination clinic for its clients.

'Everything's ramped up'

It's not solely an increased need for food and shelter with which some organizations are trying to contend.

Ottawa Innercity Ministries Executive Director Ken MacLarensaidthe pandemic has only exacerbated anotheralready delicate situation people'smental health.

He said it doesn't help that some clients are realizing a Christmas invite from loved ones may not be coming because families are worried about the potential risk of exposure to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

"Everything's ramped up. The mental health issues are ramped up, segregation is ramped up, isolationism is ramped up," he said.

"The ties that are needed, so desperately needed, for people to survive and thrive and or even exist relationally are being stressed and pressured. Folks are in a pretty dark, bleak situation."

Like Shepherds of Good Hope, Ottawa Innercity Ministries has faced staffing shortages throughout the pandemic.

That's especially difficult for some, because MacLarensaidit's the person-to-person connections that often prove the brightest rays of light when times are tough.

"In the midst of that cloud, in the midst of that darkness, a volunteer shows up with full PPE, face shield and mask and gloves," he said. "As much as possible, we try to connect with people and make sure we call them by name. We listen to their stories.

"And for a few moments, there's a change."

• Yes, in my backyard: How a stranger's act of kindness has changed a homeless man's life

Ottawa Innercity Ministries has been passing out survival packs, which includesleeping bags, hats, mittens and other essentials, made with donated items or ones bought by community members specifically for the packs.

More ways to donate

With more people struggling to make ends meet, Freiheitsaid there are other ways people cangive this holiday season.

She saysa simple note letting someone know they're being thought of and wishing them a Merry Christmas can mean a lot to someone alone during the holidays.

She said the Shepherds of Good Hope is working to ensure everyone who uses the organization's serviceshas a gift to open on Christmas Day.

"We're just doing everything that we can to try to help people feel that [others] care about them in the community."