Thank you for making Christmas an extra special time of year at Bissell Centre!
If you’ve donated, volunteered, advocated, or shared words of encouragement –thank you! Since the beginning of December, we’ve served more than 1000 Christmas meals in our drop-in centre.
Here are photos and video of the festivities. Enjoy!
There are still plenty of opportunities to support Bissell Centre this year! Please consider making a donation through our Holiday Giving Guide.
I don’t have very clear memories of the first time I came to Bissell Centre, but I know my life would look very different today if I hadn’t stepped through the doors of that old brick building 40 years ago.
I was only 12 at the time, but Bissell Centre gave me something that I hadn’t felt before…belonging.
This time of year, poverty and struggle hits the hardest, especially for kids. I remember what it was like to know there’d be no gifts under the Christmas tree, no big fancy dinner, nothing to make it feel any different than any other day.
On a day like that, it would go a long way to have someone tell you that you’re a good person who deserves good things.
When your life has been emptied by poverty and struggle, the smallest act of kindness can fill your heart more than you could ever know.
Growing up, we were always poor. But when my dad was killed in an accident, things got even worse for my mom and us kids. The first time I turned to Bissell Centre, I really had no idea just how it would change me for the rest of my life.
When you grow up not knowing there is anything better, you start to believe that there will never be anything more.
Bissell Centre changed this for me. I didn’t fully understand when I was just a kid – what 12 year old really would? But the help they gave my family, and continued to offer me as I got older, completely changed my life.
I grew up being committed to Bissell Centre, and forty years after that very first experience, I have worked most of my adult life to repay everything I received. I started by wiping down tables. Just to help out. Really, it was the least I could do.
They had given me food and shelter and clothes and helped me find a job. They had given me a safe place to come to when I needed it most.
From there, I took on more and more roles. Doing dishes. Making coffee for when people come in the morning. Eventually cooking and serving meals, and helping guide people who came to Bissell Centre and weren’t too sure about what was offered.
Today, I have been volunteering and now officially a member of staff at Bissell Centre for over twenty years. I’ve worked in eight different departments; I’ve talked to thousands of people. It gives me such a sense of purpose to know that, in one way or another, I’ve helped every person who has come through the front door.
And that feels pretty great.
In my time at Bissell Centre, I’ve been given many awards for my volunteer service. I am humbled by each and every one of them, and while these awards give me a great sense of pride in the work I’ve done, I didn’t do any of this for the recognition.
I did it because Bissell Centre is the right place for me.
That’s why it was such a huge surprise and a huge honour when a former premier of Alberta nominated me for a Diamond Jubilee Medal – awarded to volunteers across the country for their service and dedication to the community. I could never have imagined such an honour.
None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for supporters who believe that people like me deserve the chance to find a new life and new meaning.
A lot of people who come to Bissell Centre aren’t necessarily homeless. They are struggling for whatever reasons, and really need some help. For people like this, it’s more than just about surviving – it’s about being lifted out of a bad circumstance by taking back some confidence and worth.
Young guys come in to Bissell Centre to use the employment services and we can give them the kinds of basic things they need to get work and keep work. When you struggle every day just to get by, a shower, a change of good clothes, and a brown-bagged lunch is just the boost you need to boost your confidence and make you feel worth something.
It makes a guy feel normal.
Leaving for work in the morning with a cup of coffee and a lunch in your hand seems like a pretty regular thing. But for so many, this is something that they’ve never had.
Christmas at Bissell Centre is probably pretty different than what you are used to. But in all the ways it matters, it is the same.
We have our big family Christmas dinner – several times through the month of December – where everyone comes together to share a great meal and some laughs, away from the cold. And we make sure that everyone – especially the kids – gets a present.
It feels so great to see the look of joy when someone comes in off the street, just hoping for a place to warm up a bit and maybe grab a bite to eat, and they get treated to a Christmas feast and a gift. Maybe the first Christmas gift they’ve had in years. And not old hand-me-down toys or old clothes.
New toys. New shoes. New warm clothing to wear when, at the end of the night, they have to head back out into the cold.
Little kids leave with the kind of excitement they should have at Christmas. It’s a little different than how most experience it, but their happiness shines as brightly as a kid who eagerly waits to see what Santa has brought them. And their Bissell Centre family – the workers, volunteers and other clients – can’t help but feel overjoyed to be together in this special moment.
This Christmas at Bissell Centre, we will be grateful for any support you can give. I hope that when you are celebrating with your family, you will think of us too.
– Neil, Bissell Centre employee and former participant
I am taking my drive to end poverty and homelessness to a National level by accepting the opportunity to lead the Vibrant Communities initiative for the Tamarack Institute. This initiative entails working with 100 cities across Canada on poverty reduction initiatives. For more information about my new work, visit HERE.
I was not looking for another job. This opportunity was presented to me. Unfortunately to pursue it I have had to resign as the CEO of Bissell Centre. I have to tell you that this was the most difficult career decision I have made.
I am proud of what Bissell Centre has accomplished under my leadership but truth be told, all of the good things that have happened over the past five years are because of the incredible spirit and hard work of our staff, volunteers, and board members. It is our people that drive us to help those who are often forgotten or, worse, viewed as problems (rather than as human beings).
Over the past five years the Bissell Centre has grown its services to end poverty and homelessness. In achieving this we have put people to work, supported those who are mentally-ill, victims of crime, suffering from trauma and who need help to change their lives for the better.
There is a saying we have about our organization which is: we don’t give up on people. That’s our stance, that’s our attitude about our work and it’s our people who deliver on that each and every day, and I have to say I have been proud and blessed to be a part of such a fine group of caring people.
Because of our people, we now have a goal to house 500 homeless people per year. Five years ago, our goal was 80 per year. In addition in the past 12 months we have prevented the eviction of another 300 people – half of whom were children.
Because of our people, we provide 14,000 job placements per year. Five years ago it was less than 10,000 and we have developed plans to dramatically increase that work in 2016.
Because of our people, Bissell Centre has set a course to transform its drop in centre into a larger centre for healing, reconciliation, and change which will allow us to not only provide sanctuary from the street but also work with street-involved people in ways that help them increase their literacy skills, find jobs, address mental health challenges, and become productive members of the community.
It’s our people who take care of thousands of children each year in our free, accredited day care centre, providing them with meals, early childhood learning opportunities, and most of all love.
It’s our people who weathered not one but two devastating Thrift Shoppe fires and who ensured that even while we were closed, we were able to provide free clothing to those who needed it.
There is so much more I could mention, but I want to make sure all of you realize that Bissell Centre is not about the leader, is not about one person. Bissell Centre is about the 130 people who come to work each day to be of service and who are committed to making positive change in our participants’ lives.
I can tell you I have been attentive to surrounding myself with stellar leaders and managers as well. From day one, I knew there would come a day when I would leave Bissell Centre and frankly I wanted to make sure the agency didn’t skip a beat when I stepped down. I am confident that I have been successful. Gary St. Amand who is in charge of all of our programs (and has been for three years) has agreed to serve as Interim CEO and to work with board and staff to execute our business plan. He will do a stand up job and will receive the support of his leadership team along the way.
Sometimes when a CEO steps down, people wonder what it will mean. They wonder sometimes if the agency will have a hard time. While I want to think I will be missed at least a little, the truth is that the work will continue to the same standards of quality tomorrow as today.
I will continue to be a leadership donor to Bissell Centre, and I ask that all of you who currently support us or who have been thinking of doing so, to not hesitate because of my departure. I have every confidence that things will only continue to get better. Bissell Centre will continue on its journey to do more and do what we do better. That’s what Bissell Centre is about.
Allison and Don were chronically homeless until this past August, struggling to survive through Edmonton’s cold winters for over three years. Don was trapped in a cycle of alcoholism and homelessness. Allison’s move to Edmonton from the Northwest Territories resulted in instability, with no supports to help her transition into urban living. Together, they braved the difficulties of street life where there was limited help to manage addictions, find work, and build positive relationships with people who could steer them in a healthier direction.
Today, with the help of Bissell Centre’s Outreach Housing Team and follow-up support from their Homeless to Homes (H2H) program, Allison and Don are safely housed and on the path to healing.
The couple sought help after their third winter outside, when Allison says both she and Don started to get really sick, the frigid air making them constantly ill when they were forced to sleep outside.
“I’m overwhelmed. Sometimes I can’t believe that I have a home.”
“When you are caught up in your addictions and you’re homeless, it’s a hard trend to get out of. It’s very difficult.” Don says. “You have to look for support. You have to strive forward instead of backward. I’d been going backwards for so long that I forgot what forward was.”
At the time of our interview, the couple had been in their new home for only five days. Don admits that he’s still shocked by how quickly they got help: “I’m overwhelmed. Sometimes I can’t believe that I have a home.”
They are excited to be building a stronger, brighter future. Don is working towards coping with his addictions while Allison is preparing to go back to work. Their relationship, they say, is stronger than it’s ever been. But it’s difficult to think about their friends who are still on the street; Don notes that there are many more who are worse off than he and Allison were but that he is thankful he got a second chance.
“I’m thankful for Bissell for helping me out and people pointing us in the right direction. Here I am today, I’ve got a home and I’m thankful and grateful.”
Alison and Don’s story is from our Winter Newsletter, which is now available to download.
Thanks to you, our generous supporters and dedicated volunteers, we served over 300 of our participants a Traditional Turkey meal this Thanksgiving.
As you know, our priority is to eliminate poverty in our community, and we hope to one day have no hungry mouths to feed. But the reality is, many people are struggling.
There are folks in our community that are at rock bottom. They’ve exhausted their best efforts to rise above life’s relenting hurdles. But it’s in this place where significant change can happen, where up is the only direction left to go. A meal served with care, a smile sincerely shared, a conversation grounded in trust and respect can be the stepping stones needed to regain one’s footing to find a new balance and momentum.
We recently shared with you the story of Tamara and Arliss, who were homeless and relying on on our Drop-in Centre last Thanksgiving. Today, they are in a home of their own. You, our supporters, helped make that happen.
Together, we can continue helping people step up out of poverty and homelessness, and sometimes it will all start with turkey and a slice of pie.
To those who donated turkeys, thank you. To those who donate to support our Drop-in Centre, thank you. To those who took extra time out of your busy lives to serve, thank you!
A lot has changed for Arliss and me since last year.
Our Thanksgiving dinner was at an event for homeless people. The rest of the days we were struggling to survive on the streets.
This year, we’ll cook it together in the little kitchen in our very own apartment.
My partner Arliss and I got help through one of Bissell Centre’s housing programs. Your donations make these programs possible. Thank you!
Right now is a time when a lot of us are stopping to count our blessings and as I get closer to Thanksgiving and think about the life Arliss and I left behind, I can’t help but think about the people we love who are still stuck in our old way of life.
Arliss and I are living proof that your support of Bissell Centre is making a life-changing difference in our lives and the lives of others as well.
Please donate today to help people like Tamara and Arliss.
It wasn’t easy. I’ll be honest with you. We tried this before. We got some help to find an apartment the winter before last. It didn’t work out very well and we ended up back on the street for five months.
But we didn’t give up and neither did the people at Bissell Centre.
That whole time in between, Arliss and I just kept doing everything we could to get another shot and then make it work. Without Bissell’s help we probably would have given up. It was so hard and you start to believe that you don’t deserve a chance at a life off the streets.
The support Bissell offered helped a lot and the first time I went I just cried.
I was feeling overwhelmed…stressed right out. Going in there calms you down. I was able to just get it all out. Then we could start to talk about the brighter side of life. After that first time, I knew I wanted to live and get off my addictions and because I could talk to staff, I was able to calm down my addiction and get the support I needed. I even started going to Sunday services at Bissell Centre and got back in touch with my spiritual side. That helped me keep going, too.
Then it happened! This past spring we moved into our new apartment.
Our new apartment might not seem like much to a lot of people but it’s in a good building with good neighbours. The landlord is good. The walls are thick enough you can’t hear people talking next door.
It’s been really good so far and I know we can make it this time. We’ve got a stable income. We’ve got a dedicated person that helps us if we run into any problems and otherwise always checks in with us every week or two. That’s all part of Bissell Centre’s housing programs.
My favourite thing is the neighbourhood pool that’s a short walk down the street. I took my two-year-old granddaughter there one really hot August day. It was probably one of the best days of my life.
These past months with her have been awesome. Every chance I get, I spend it with her. We can do all sorts of things together now. Things I couldn’t have dreamed of before.
This is a huge change from living on the street.
I will never forget how far we’ve come and I will never forget that it’s people like you who helped make it happen. It’s kind of amazing that someone I don’t even know would be so kind to me and my family.
“That’s why I knew I had to tell you our story and being able to say “Thank You!” just before Thanksgiving.”
– Tamara
For the first time in I don’t know how long, I’m actually going to celebrate! Before, I was trapped in my addictions. Like Arliss said the other day, “our day started off drinking…we were always picking cans out there or doing something just to make enough for beer.”
Now, my biggest worry is how I can fit everyone at my little table for Thanksgiving dinner. That’s because my kids are coming! Arliss has reconnected with some of his family, too.
And of course, the special seat at the table, the one right next to me, is reserved for my granddaughter!
It’s hard to think about it sometimes, but I can’t forget that there are a lot more homeless people out there that need a chance like the one we got.
Sincerely,
Tamara – former housing participant at Bissell Centre
Please donate this Thanksgiving and help more people like Tamara and Arliss.
ShineFM’s 7th Annual “Turkey Raiser” Totes for Turkeys Event is back! 105.9 ShineFM and AM930 The Light partners with various Save-on-Foods locations throughout the city and surrounding areas to help Bissell Centre and The Mustard Seed raise turkeys and funds to help with their community Thanksgiving dinner.
Bissell Centre will be hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner on October 8th and will also be giving the turkeys to low-income families so they can have a joyous thanksgiving at home. You can donate a turkey or gift card at select Save-on-Foods stores on Saturday, Oct. 3rd and in return you receive a tote bag!
In past years, the stations have raised upwards of 900 turkeys on this one-day event! This year Bissell Centre, along with The Mustard Seed, will join in this important fundraising endeavour so that hundreds of mouths can be fed this Thanksgiving.
Come visit us at select Save-on-Foods locations and spread the word on Twitter with hashtag #TotesforTurkeys!
Totes for Turkeys Event Details:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 3rd
Time: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Save on Foods Locations:
Hampton (6260 199th St. NW)
Calgary Trail (3361 Calgary Trail South)
Baseline (60 Broadway Boulevard, Sherwood Park)
Oxford (12903 153 Ave NW)
Stadium (8124 112 Avenue)
Bissell Centre will be celebrating the wealth of talent and creativity that exists within our community by hosting an Inner City Aboriginal Celebration on Friday, September 25th from 12:00pm – 2:00pm at Giovanni Caboto Park located at 95 street & 109 avenue.
As part of Alberta Culture Days 2015, the event will be honouring the heritage of the Aboriginal culture and will include a free, traditional stew and bannock meal, Aboriginal performances, and a Tipi Raising with traditional teachings.
The Inner City Aboriginal Celebration is a free, family event and one of many celebrations occurring throughout the province during Alberta Culture Days 2015 from September 25th – 27th. Alberta Culture Days is spearheaded by the Government of Alberta and is about discovering, experiencing and celebrating our unique blend of peoples and passions, and the importance of culture for a healthy and vibrant province.
Bissell Centre’s Inner City Aboriginal Celebration: Date: Friday, September 25th Location: Giovanni Caboto Park (95 st. & 109 ave.) Time: 12:00-2:00pm Details: free meal – traditional stew & bannock, Aboriginal performances, Tipi Raising, and traditional teachings.
In early September, we launched an Outreach Housing Team whose sole purpose is to locate, engage, and house people who are homeless. The team will work in under-serviced and unreached areas of the city where homeless people congregate and provide follow-up support, resources, and services as required for those who are housed.
We have formed valuable partnerships with the Neighbour Centre, Edmonton Public Library, Homeward Trust’s Coordinated Intake Workers, All Saints Cathedral, and other organizations to ensure we are reaching out to as many homeless people as we can.
“The Outreach Housing Team should help us double the number of homeless people we house and support to 500 per year.”
– Bissell Centre’s CEO, Mark Holmgren
The new Outreach Housing Team is an important addition to our Housing Services Programs, which includes Homeless to Homes (H2H) and Community Bridge. H2H asserts that housing should be addressed prior to any other barrier in an individual’s life by providing stable housing, while our Community Bridge aims to prevent homelessness by stopping imminent evictions by providing financial support and intervention services for people at risk of becoming homeless.
Funding for the Outreach Housing Team was initiated by the Strathcona High School Leadership Program through their Treehouse Project fundraiser in early 2015. They raised $190,000, which shattered their fundraising goal and gave us the opportunity to expand the size and reach of our team!
Please visit the Outreach Housing Team webpage for more information and how to access the team.
In November 2011 I received a call from a colleague about a woman with a disabled son who was facing imminent eviction. A single mother, she had built a small cleaning business so she could work her own hours and be home for her son when he came home from school. A number of circumstances impacted her income: the loss of one client, another who did not pay her, and unexpected repairs to her van. She had to get her van fixed but this put her behind in her rent. She was recovering financially but too far behind to address her arrears.
“The Community Bridge is one example of how Bissell Centre is trying to end homelessness. In this case, we strive to prevent it. The human benefits are obvious but it also benefits the rest of us to have fewer people living on the street and in shelters.”
My colleague told me that this single working mothershe was denied assistance from the government. He tried to appeal to officials high up in the Alberta Government at the time, but the government refused to help. This incensed me. The woman had no other supports and if she lost her home, she would be on the street and at risk of losing her son.
The next day I happened to be speaking alongside a board member to the Edmonton Presbytery of the United Church. At that meeting I shared the woman’s story and announced I was creating a small fund (called the Bridge Fund) to help this woman and others who had nowhere else to turn for assistance.
I explained I was launching the fund with $500 of my own money. My board member committed $2,500. I informed our United Church friends that from November until the end of January, 25% of any funds coming to us from the church, its many congregations and groups, would be directed to this fund. By the end of January we had $10,000.
We assisted the woman. She had saved enough for rent, but had no damage deposit. She knew she needed to move; her place was too expensive. We provided a damage deposit and sent a staff person alongside two of our casual workers to move her into a better, more affordable home. It cost approximately $1,200 to help her and it saved her and her son from being homeless. This initial expense also saved our safety net systems significantly more money than it would have cost to support a newly homeless family.
We continued to provide what assistance we could to those who needed our help as a last resort and over the course of a year were able to stop the evictions of a couple of dozen people. I had to add some more money over the course of the year. We provided this help without any dedicated staffing in addition to current activities. No one funded it other than our donors.
During the course of providing this help, I began talking with others about needing a more structured service like this. Over the course of eight months or so, the conversations I was having with individuals grew to a group conversation that included representatives from EPCOR, the Homeless Commission, the Edmonton Social Planning Council, Canadian Red Cross, Alberta/NWT Region, Edmonton Apartment Association, Stollery Charitable Foundation, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, and the Edmonton Community Foundation.
Thanks to a small grant from the Homeless Commission, we contracted a consultant to assist us in the development of a design brief for what is currently known as the Community Bridge. We outlined the project design, detailed purpose, objectives, and services to be provided by the program, which I am pleased to share with you:
“The Community Bridge is a rapid response intervention that stops an imminent eviction and provides interventions/services purposed to ensure that causes of the eviction are effectively addressed in order to ward off reoccurrence.
“The interventions are multi-faceted but include funds that can be accessed, when required, to pay delinquent rent, utilities, or other costs that, if not addressed, will cause eviction to take place. The use of such funds is not, however, the answer by itself.”
“Along with the funds, rapid interventions that address ongoing housing, income or employment and other contributing factors are required more often than not in order to sustain housing after the eviction has been stopped.”
“In effect, when dollars are provided they serve as the foundation of a bridge through an immediate cash crisis. The money provides time for further interventions and assistance to help the individual/family make the necessary adjustments or changes required to increase financial stability and maintain their accommodation permanently.”
Our design of this prototype purposefully did not call for a predetermined set of limits regarding how we might support a client, how often, and so forth. We simply started with the goal of preventing evictions. We did not, and still do not, have a set ceiling on how much money we will provide to an individual or family. We do not limit our help to just one time. We want low barriers to the service in order to understand the range and complexity of issues people experience and then be free to respond in whatever way is necessary.
The design brief and further discussions resulted in the Community Bridge prototype receiving strong funding commitments from Stollery Charitable Foundation, Edmonton Community Foundation, the Homeless Commission, and the United Way. On April 1, 2014 we began to design the implementation of the prototype, and then began helping clients in July, 2014. The program relied on the funding of one staff person and a “loan fund” to draw on. To further our impact, we formed partnerships with groups like the Edmonton Mennonite Centre and Bent Arrow Healing Society so that we could help clients of theirs.
We have just completed one year of the prototype and we provided services to 110 cases consisting of 266 individuals, half of whom were children. To be clear, this means that 266 individuals were not evicted and forced to go to shelters or live on the street.
Not everyone who requested support from the Community Bridge needed emergency funds. In fact, for every ten cases that required financial assistance, another seven helped to avoid eviction through our knowledge of systems and ability to help clients access existing emergency supports.
Our evaluation of the Community Bridge includes one month and three month follow up visits with individuals to assess their well-being and the longevity of the program. Sometimes, we have challenges connecting with clients. Many lack phones or have pay as you go phones, which they do not always have the funds required to operate. Many are working or active away from the home. Currently approximately one-third of clients fall into this category. However, of the remaining 70 cases where follow up protocols took place, 14 clients had been evicted (20%). Conversely, this means 80% had retained their housing. We hope to track these cases over a long period of time as the program goes forward, funding allowing.
We are currently working with our funders to plan for the future. Currently it costs $900 per individual helped, which is far less than the costs of supporting a person who has lost their home. It is cost-effective for landlords too, given that on average it costs a landlord $2,500 to evict a family.
Beyond the evident cost savings, the Community Bridge offers individuals and their families the opportunity to avoid the physical and emotional toll of eviction. When evicted, a family loses everything: furniture, clothing, valued possessions, security… everything. Preventing another child from living through this traumatic experience is invaluable.
One man we helped avoid eviction would have been sent back to prison; having accommodation was a condition of his parole. Had he become homeless he would have been returned to jail for one year – the cost: $110,000.
More people can benefit from this kind of help. Our plan to grow this service will also see the per case costs go from $900 per case to approximately $650 per case while the cost savings to society go up.
This is one example of how Bissell Centre is trying to end homelessness. In the case of the Community Bridge, we strive to prevent it. The human benefits are obvious but it also benefits the rest of us to have fewer people living on the street and in shelters.
If this work speaks to you and you want to support our efforts, please consider donating to Bissell Centre. Each year we generate one third of our income through philanthropic donations. Without the support of our generous and committed donors, we could not do all that we do.
