Boyle Street and Bissell Centre Build a Longer Table at Friendship Feast

There’s an old saying that goes, “when you have more than you need, build a longer table.” Boyle Street Community Services and Bissell Centre are coming together to do just that at this year’s Friendship Feast.

This year’s Friendship Feast is on October 9, 2023, at Boyle Plaza (9538 103A Ave). Boyle Street Community Services and Bissell Centre are partnering for two meals to not only fill bellies in the community but also to celebrate the community we serve and appreciate the friendships and love that have grown.

Two Meals – Two Takes on Fall’s Favourite Feast

The first sitting will be from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will be provided by Boyle Street Community Services. They will be serving up all the traditional Thanksgiving favourites like turkey, stuffing, potatoes; everything you would expect to find when family and friends get together to celebrate. Bissell will serve the second meal from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will consist of Indigenous delights such as stew and Bannock from our outstanding Food Services team – a meal that’s been met with loud acclaim more than once, including recently at our National Truth and Reconciliation Day Round Dance.

A Friendship Feast Is About Coming Together

Our friends at Boyle Street Community Services recently moved out of their current location and are waiting for their new home, King Thunderbird Centre, to finish construction. We’re helping out by providing some temporary space for Boyle Street Community Service’s programs – so we can continue meeting our community members’ needs.

“This year, we’re not just filling bellies; we’re celebrating our community, appreciating the bonds we’ve forged, and sharing love through two unique meals,” says Director of Marketing and Communications Nivedita Kunjur. “It’s more than a feast; it’s a testament to friendship, unity, and the power of coming together. We’re not just serving food; we’re truly building a longer table.”

Poster with corn and pumpkin and details about Bissell and Boyle's October 9 Friendship Feast

Reclaiming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

For Sarah Higgins, Director of Indigenous Engagement at Bissell Centre, the word that comes most to mind when she thinks about National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is ceremony. She explains how every Indigenous member of Bissell Centre’s staff and community has a direct correlation to or has been directly impacted by residential schools.

“It’s a way to express our grief and heal from our losses in a healthy and enriching way,” says Higgins. Bissell Centre is holding its own National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony on September 29 from noon to 9:00 p.m. and will feature a pipe ceremony, a Round Dance, and a traditional feast provided by Red Seal Indigenous Chef Matthew Potts.

A History of Indigenous Cultural Ceremonies

While Bissell Centre’s event in downtown Edmonton (10527 96 Street) is open to everyone, it’s far from a celebration. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was born from the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – and after mass graves were found at multiple sites of residential schools across the country. Cultural Support Worker Brandon Lee-McDonald explains how at one point, holding this very event would have landed everyone participating in prison.

“Up until 1951, when the Indian Act was amended, we weren’t allowed to have our drum circles, we had to change the names of our ceremonies, we essentially had to hide in the bushes to express our cultural identity,” says Lee-McDonald. “Our ancestors suffered and died so we could hold our ceremonies in public again. Without their sacrifice, we wouldn’t be able to have this ceremony in downtown Edmonton.”

What this Day Means at Bissell Centre

A tenant of the National Truth and Reconciliation event at Bissell Centre is honouring those who survived residential schools. There will be a list of survivors in attendance during the event, to recognize their resilience in the face of an atrocity that took so many.

It might look like we’re celebrating at our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event, but we’re mourning and grieving,” says Lee-McDonald. “We’re acknowledging the survivors of residential schools and honouring them. This is our day to mourn in a healthy way from our past traumas.”

While everyone at the National Truth and Reconciliation Day event at Bissell Centre will be commemorating that they’re still here, there is still a lot of healing to be done. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation may be about grief and healing, but it’s also about empowerment and reclamation.

“This is a day given to us by the Creator,” says Lee-McDonald. “It was given to help us grieve and heal and be healthy. We want to take this day for our ceremony and live our truths in our cultural identity. It’s a big deal we can hold this ceremony on the streets of Edmonton.”

Day of Truth and Reconciliation Round Dance event poster

National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration

Bissell’s National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration weeks ago brought 96 St. right outside Bissell to life. Bissell Centre has been celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day, proclaimed in 1996 by the Canadian Government, for well over a decade! This year, it was so much more than a block party– our team made sure this was a celebration to remember.

Food Services serving the National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023 meal.

Keeping Traditions Alive

Our Food Services kitchen team made traditional stew and Bannock for everyone who attended. In total, they served more than 900 meals! Elders from the community held a traditional pipe ceremony to kick things off. They shared stories of struggle and expressed why the customs and traditions they grew up with are so important to folks from Indigenous communities.

National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023 Round Dance performers

Energetic Local Performances

Families enjoyed the traditional hand games from Indigenous communities. Plus, dance and music performances from the Thunder Lake Singers & Dancers and flutist Theo Waskahat. The block was alive with music, drumming, and dancing for the whole community to enjoy.

National Indigenous Peoples Day dancers performing outside

Sharing and Learning Together

National Indigenous Peoples Day is always an amazing celebration, but this year’s was truly one to remember. We’re so happy and grateful for everyone who came out, participated, shared their gifts, and helped make sure Indigenous customs and traditions will stay alive for the people who need them most.

National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023 drummers.

National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023 Photo Highlights

Group of National Indigenous Peoples Day performers

Group of Bissell staff and attendees at 2023 National Indigenous Peoples Day event.

Dancer performing at National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023.

Dancers and attendees at 2023 National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Round Dancers performing at National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023.

Dancer performing at National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023 event.

 

Take the 30-Day Minimalist Challenge

In 2010, two young guys from Ohio decided to quit their corporate jobs, downsize their lives, and focus on what’s most important to them.

Today, they tour the world spreading their ideas about minimalism and living a meaningful life. Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn now have multiple best-selling books, two highly successful Netflix documentaries, and a weekly podcast with guests ranging from celebrities to researchers and even members of their own families.

A Minimalist Lifestyle

As The Minimalists, these two do much more than talk about living with less. They provide valuable tools and ideas to help others find their ways of living with less. Local broadcaster Ryan Jespersen has started his journey, taking on the 30-day Minimalist Challenge and chronicling his progress on Twitter – making sure everyone knows he’s giving to Bissell Centre.

As we roll into a fresh year, countless Edmontonians are looking for their own fresh starts to a new year. And let’s be real, we all accumulated a lot of stuff over the pandemic. With the world opening again, it could be time to look at everything in our homes and refocus ourselves back to what’s most important.

The Minimalist Challenge

Jespersen isn’t the first locally-recognized name to chronicle this adventure in the Minimalist Challenge. The Edmonton Journal’s Fish Griwkowsky shared his experiences in the newspaper back in 2016 – clearing out a myriad of science-fiction novels, vintage action figures, and more!

How this month-long game works is simple: on the first day of the month, find one thing to let go of; on day two, find two things; and so on, and so on. By the end of the month, that’s close to 500 individual items to be let go.

And this is just one idea the two influencers devised. There’s also the packing party, where you pack up everything you own like you’re moving and only unpack the items you use. After three weeks, you start to see how little you need in your day-to-day. They also have a series of “rules,” which really are more like guidelines and can always shift depending on individual need.

Don’t Forget Bissell Centre as you downsize

Bissell Centre accepts donations of all kinds at both of our Thrift Shop locations, from books to clothes, kitchenware, unused toiletries and undergarments, winter clothing, and more! So, if you decide to take this plunge in trying to live with less, be sure to keep us in mind as a place where all these things can be put to good use and help those who need it most.

Share with us your own downsizing journey! Is there anything in your home you decided to minimize? What do you donate most often to organizations like Bissell Centre? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to leave your thoughts. Let’s keep the Minimalist Challenge and the conversation going!

Time for a Financial Checkup: November is Financial Literacy Month

November is Financial Literacy Month (FLM). It’s the time of year when Canadians are encouraged to do a financial checkup. With new apps and online financial tools, it’s never been easier to assess your financial well-being. But where do you start, if you are missing basic financial literacy in subjects like debt, credit, financing, and budgeting? And where do you go if you want to understand your financial rights and responsibilities?

Theresa Baran is familiar with this dilemma. Growing up in Edmonton, Theresa’s father was her first financial mentor.  “My Dad,” she smiles, “was the first person to teach me about money.” Although her father focused on saving his money, Theresa never forgot the big, unexpected purchase he had made for his family.

As a nine-year-old girl, Theresa vividly recalled her father pulling into their driveway with a vehicle. “It was blue, had big wheels, and was beautiful,” she said. “It was the fanciest car I had ever seen. My dad was the first Native man in our neighbourhood to buy a car.” After years of saving, the family had its first vehicle for $2000. It was a large purchase for a young family, which included Theresa and her two siblings.

Theresa’s Dad imparted financial wisdom to his daughter that she carries to this day. “Always have money to put a roof over your head,” he reminded her, “and never be homeless.” Then, suddenly, on her 18th birthday, Theresa’s father died, and everything in her life changed.

Theresa had nobody to advise her on money management, and she didn’t know who to ask for guidance. Although her dad taught her so much about saving, he didn’t have time to explain credit, debt, and rules about income tax. Living on her own, she found work at a daycare, a career she held for 22 years. She tried to save her money but lacked basic financial literacy. Now at 48 years of age, Theresa is on Assured Income for the Severely Handicap (AISH), where she needs to survive on a fixed income where every dollar counts.

Bissell Centre offers a variety of programs on financial empowerment to improve the lives of people on low incomes. These free programs allow participants to feel empowered in their financial decision-making, helping them to avoid making poor financial choices or being taken advantage of by unscrupulous companies that offer easy financing and high-interest payments. Participants create budgets, file taxes, access government programs, and create realistic savings plans.

Katrina John-West, Team Lead of Financial Empowerment, says the program is providing financial information that many of us take for granted. John-West, who holds a business degree, covers topics ranging from debt and credit to budgeting and knowing your financial rights, giving participants the confidence to manage their money. “Bissell even helped me file my income taxes,” says Theresa, adding, “When I worked at the daycare, I had a T4. Now that I am on AISH, it’s different, and I have a T5.”

Thanks, in part, to her father’s advice, Theresa has never been homeless. “Do good things with your money and don’t cry away your blues by drinking and drug use,” guided her dad. For the first time in her life, Theresa says she feels like “an independent woman” having taken the Financial Empowerment program.

Theresa sitting in the Community Space sharing her story

Theresa Baran shares the financial skills she developed as part of the Bissell Centre’s Financial Empowerment Program for Financial Literacy Month.

 

Theresa and Katrina outside walking

 

The key to the Financial Empowerment Program is facilitators, like Katrina John-West, who possess social services and business backgrounds and spend time one-on-one with participants, including Theresa Baran.

Women Are…

Women are persevering.

Women are still making less than men per hour.

Women are community builders.

Women are strong.

Women are experiencing homelessness.

Women are powerful.

Women are advocates.

Women are challenged with addictions.

Women are indomitable.

Women are not always born that way.

Women are lawyers.

Women are experiencing domestic violence.

Women are caregivers.

Women are taking care of themselves.

Women are

Women are bad ass!

Women are social workers!

Women are doing their best.

Women are outspoken.

Women are beautiful!

Women are able.

Women are deaf or disabled and can do and be anything when their accessibility needs are met.

Women are construction workers.

Women are dancers.

Women are tired.

Women are doing it anyway!

Women are great leaders.

Women are musicians.

Women are making mistakes.

Women are trying again. And again. And again. And again. and again.

Women are wealthy.

Women are living below the poverty line.

Women are worthy of being celebrated every single day because of their race, gender, creed, traumas, abilities because….

Women are.

Tipinawâw – 24/7 Emergency Accommodation Amid COVID-19

In the fall of 2021, cold winter weather was looming, and there was reduced shelter capacity in the local sector as a result of COVID-19 spacing requirements, This created an emergent need to provide shelter and safety from the outside elements for people experiencing homelessness. The Edmonton Convention Centre was opened as Tipinawâw, a 24/7 emergency accommodation space which was operated by several local partnering agencies. This video series shows the challenges and triumphs faced.

Episode One – Mobilizing for Winter

With cold winter weather looming, and reduced shelter capacity in the local sector as a result of COVID-19 spacing requirements, there was an emergent need to provide shelter and safety from the outside elements for people experiencing homelessness. The Edmonton Convention Centre was opened as a 24/7 emergency accommodation space and operated by local partnering agencies. While this response faced some significant challenges, there were also some great triumphs. We invite you into Tipinawâw.


Episode Two – More Than Just a Name

Tipinawâw not only provided shelter and safety from the outside elements for people experiencing homelessness, Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society brought Indigenous culture to those at the 24/7 emergency accommodation space, allowing some to experience their own culture for the first time. This connectedness to one’s culture is a powerful step in their healing journey. We invite you into Tipinawâw.


Tipinawâw: Episode Three – Outbreak

Following public health guidelines like physical distancing is hard. It’s even harder when you don’t have a home to stay in. Tipinawâw provided a 24/7 space at the Edmonton Convention Centre for people experiencing homelessness to access day and night services as safely as possible. Boyle Street Community Services led Tipinawâw’s medical response to COVID-19, providing PPE, showers, wound care, and harm reduction services on-site. They developed a contact tracing system and helped clients access COVID-19 tests and isolation spaces. As COVID-19 cases rose across the province, measures at Tipinawâw helped slow the spread of COVID-19. We invite you into Tipinawâw.


Episode Four – Breaking the Cycle

Tipinawâw provided people experiencing homelessness with a warm, safe place to go over the fall and winter months. The 24/7 emergency accommodation space at the Edmonton Convention Centre did so much more than that; it also brought housing services to where people were at in their journey out of homelessness. Ultimately the solution to homelessness, is housing. We invite you into Tipinawâw.


Tipinawâw: Episode Five – Tomorrow

Through collaboration and caring, Tipinawâw provided vulnerable Edmontonians a warm, safe space to go this past winter, and directly connected them to housing options. In the final video of this series, we explore how the City and partner agencies came together quickly to help people experiencing homelessness during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What were the lessons learned? What will it take to end homelessness in Edmonton? Ultimately, the solution to homelessness is housing, and we are all stronger as a community when we are not leaving anyone behind. We invite you into Tipinawâw one final time.


Videos made in partnership with Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, Bissell Centre, Boyle Street Community Services, The Mustard Seed, the City of Edmonton, Edmonton Convention Centre and Homeward Trust. Video production: PlanIT Sound

Chance’s Story of Hope

My name is Chance. I’m 25 years old and live at Hope Terrace, a permanent supportive home that is run by Bissell Centre. I have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder—a type of brain injury with no cure—so I need help with things like coping with my emotions, keeping appointments, and cooking.

Before I moved into the Hope Terrace residence, life was frustrating and stressful. I used to live at my grandmother’s house, along with my mom and four other family members. When everyone was home, it was chaos, which made it even harder to manage my emotions—even happy emotions were too much at times.

A lot of times, I would blackout because my emotions got too intense. I do my best to keep my anxiety and bipolar symptoms under control, but it can feel impossible without proper support.

Mom and I knew I needed help, but we didn’t have money and we didn’t know where to start. So, a few years ago, I tagged along with my friend to Bissell Centre’s Easter meal. He was getting help from Bissell and seemed to like it enough. Maybe I could get help too?

It was at that very meal that I first heard about Bissell’s mental health resources and the Hope Terrace house.

When I was invited to move into Hope Terrace a few months later, Mom and I both agreed it would be a good decision. I finally felt some hope. Maybe life doesn’t have to be so hard all the time? Maybe I could have a better life?

The staff here help me with the things that overwhelm me most—like budgeting, cooking, and dealing with my emotions. They are awesome! They’re really good, kind people—they’re my family.

Without the support that I regularly get here, I don’t know where I’d be.

—Chance, Bissell Centre Participant

From Grief to Hope: David’s Story

My name is David and the holidays are a lonely time for me. You see, I lost my entire family in three tragic accidents.

I couldn’t cope with the grief, so turned to substances to find peace. Thankfully, Bissell Centre was there to pick me up when I needed help.

So how did I get here? Ten years ago, my wife and I were living our dream, running a successful catering business in Vancouver. But that was before a drunk driver took my wife’s life. My wife was my partner, my best friend—I didn’t know how to go on without her.

The heartbreak was still fresh for me when six weeks later a work accident claimed the life of my 23 year-old son. His harness broke during a brutal storm when he was checking mobile towers. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

I thought things couldn’t get any worse, but I was wrong.

A few months later, I got a call that my daughter’s car had veered from the road on her way to Whistler. The snow flurries made it nearly impossible to see. By the time she was found, she’d frozen to death in her car.

It was unthinkable. In five months, my entire family was gone.

 

For a long time, I used alcohol to numb the pain of losing my wife and children. Eventually, I got really sick and was sent to Edmonton for rehab.

But with sobriety came more darkness. So I turned to heroin.

Whenever I used, I was depressed and alone—must trying to forget my reality.

My rock-bottom came when I was arrested for carrying drugs. In jail, I had a lot of time to think about the man I wanted to become. I knew I needed to make some huge changes if I wanted to be happy again and become the man my beloved wife and kids knew me to be.

Bissell Centre was the first place I went after being released.

The staff greeted me with kindness. Instead of judging me, they smiled, welcomed me and handed me a warm plate of food. The staff told me about their mental health and housing support programs, and I was blown away.

For the first time, I realized that I didn’t have to rebuild my life alone.


Make a holiday gift this Christmas, so we can walk alongside more people like David in their darkest hour.

A New Chapter of Collaboration Amid COVID-19

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much – Helen Keller

Collaboration is not new to Bissell Centre and our fellow social service agencies.  We have often sat at the same tables advocating for the individuals we serve; providing a unified voice for those who may not otherwise be heard.  We work together to provide services that meet the needs of those experiencing poverty and homelessness, trying to ensure there is enough supply to meet the demand.

The COVID-19 pandemic simultaneously increased the need and reduced our ability to supply services to meet the growing demand of an estimated 180 people were becoming homeless each month. As the cold weather approached, the City of Edmonton took action to provide housing options for everyone.

We were proud to once again partner with the City of Edmonton, in collaboration with Boyle Street Community‌ ‌Services‌, The Mustard Seed, and the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, ‌to‌ provide‌ ‌a‌ ‌warm safe space where‌ ‌individuals‌ ‌experiencing‌ ‌homelessness can go this winter.

From October 30 the 24/7 Emergency Response Accommodation, operating from The Edmonton Convention Centre, will offer round-the-clock support and services for up to 300 people overnight and up to 400 people during the day.  Individuals who come to the 24/7 Emergency Response Accommodation will have essential services like food, clothing and a warm place to sleep, but will also have access to health and wellness support, including harm reduction services.

As the doors opened this weekend, the mood was warm and welcoming as hundreds of participants were able to access the services they need.

“The solution to homelessness is housing and support services…”

 

All partners recognize that temporary housing is not the solution to homelessness.  The solution to homelessness is housing and support services, and all participants at the 24/7 Emergency Response Accommodation were connected with a housing support worker who will help them find longer-term housing.

Bissell Centre was responsible for managing the day shelter and housing services at the 24/7 Emergency Response Accommodation, ensuring that there are provisions and staff for laundry, showers, meals, storage and security measures as well as coordinating the housing services.

The 24/7 Emergency Response Accommodation stands for everything Bissell stands for; a welcoming space where everyone is important, every story is worth hearing and every life is meaningful.  Bringing this to life is a tall order, but one we are prepared to fill. To focus on these efforts, the drop-in services at the Community Space at Bissell Centre were temporarily suspended.

Just a short walk away, back at home base, other essential Bissell Centre programs continued to support participants experiencing poverty.

  • Employment Services is sourcing and providing casual labour placements for those looking for work.  They are also offering job skills training and other job-ready programs.
  • Financial Empowerment workers will continue to provide individuals and families with financial literacy education, assistance with tax filing and accessing government benefits, and support to access basic banking.
  • Housing support workers will be onsite at the convention centre AND continue to reach out into street communities, learning about participant needs and addressing them with housing solutions.
  • The Family Support team continues to visit families in their homes, providing diapers and formula and clothes as well as support with food and transportation.
  • Bissell’s Early Childhood Development Program Opened its new doors on Nov 2, ready to provide high-quality care for nearly twice as many children as the previous space.

We were excited to be a partner in the convention centre, as we continued to evolve our programming while keeping everyone safe.

Together we are stronger, together we are safer, together we are happier.  Thank you for standing together with us towards a future without poverty.

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