homelessness

December 24, 2017

The Church on the street: A gift of thanks on Christmas morn

Robert Kinghorn's friend shares her story of homelessness and gratitude for finally having a home this Christmas.

Unless you have been homeless, as Mary and Joseph were on that first Christmas, it is difficult to understand the deep peace a roof over your head can bring.

Published in Robert Kinghorn

December 10, 2017

Family Services seeks long-term housing solutions

Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, up to 3,000 women who have survived violence and abuse or endured life in the sex trade will be eligible for provincial rent subsidies.

The money helps, but Ontario’s new initiatives to help victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking still face some hurdles, warns Catholic Family Services of Toronto.

Published in Canada

December 5, 2017

The Church on the Street: Moment of grace enhances a noisy night

A homeless man sleeps in the street. Church on the Street is an outreach program that provides a listening presence for those who have felt life's hurts.

The universality of the Catholic Church is never more evident than in the sacraments and the love for the poor. These foundation stones inform its spiritual life and stand as an eternal witness to the love of Christ.

Published in Faith

October 13, 2017

Amid violence streets still have their moments of grace

Photo illustration of a young woman depicts the effects of human trafficking. Robert Kinghorn writes that the good news of the Church on the Street is not reported alongside the murders and the overdoses in secular newspapers.

There are few, if any, parishes in Toronto that had three shooting deaths in the first month of the year and followed them up with two more in the next few months. Add to this an epidemic of drug overdoses and a picture of lawlessness could emerge.

Published in Robert Kinghorn

January 22, 2017

Montreal priest turns homeless past into ministry of the street

Fr. Claude Paradis has made ministering to the homeless in Montreal his call.

MONTREAL – Claude Paradis was impoverished and homeless, living on the streets of Montreal. He struggled with addiction to both alcohol and drugs, with a future so bleak, he considered ending his own life.

Published in Canada

June 25, 2016

Covenant House setting a new path for homeless youth

Homeless five years ago, Nick Beckett is now working his way to a degree in criminology at the University of Toronto.

TORONTO – Nick Beckett is an impressive young man in his third year at the University of Toronto working towards a criminology degree. As he makes his way through exams, he’s also heading up a new non-profit which aims to provide a home and transitional programs to young people who age out of the child welfare system.

Published in Faith

February 5, 2015

Montreal mayor invites Pope to city's 375th anniversary in 2017

Together with Montreal Archbishop Christian Lepine, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Feb. 4 to invite him to the city's 375th anniversary celebrations in 2017. The 375th anniversary of Montreal is an “extraordinary” opportunity for the Pope to deliver a message of mutual respect and respect for freedom of expression between governments and religious leaders, says Coderre.

MONTREAL - Pope Francis has been invited to Montreal in 2017 to participate in celebrations marking the city’s 375th anniversary.

Published in International

January 29, 2015

Covenant House partners with city to aid sex-trade workers

On Jan. 29, Covenant House Toronto executive director Bruce Rivers launched the city's first "specialized longer-term transitional housing program" for female victims of sex trade and trafficking.

TORONTO - Covenant House is stepping up to give young women and girls caught in the grip of the sex trade a way out.

Published in Canada: Toronto-GTA

January 16, 2015

Tragedy comes to Toronto’s streets

When temperatures dropped to -12 degrees Celsius in early January, a homeless man dressed only in a t-shirt and jeans was stuck on the cold streets of downtown Toronto. Vulnerable to the freezing temperature and bitter winds, he sought protection in a bus shelter.

Published in YSN: Speaking Out

December 13, 2014

Remember homeless at Christmas

Topped by the Good Shepherd Angel, homeless Christmas trees placed around downtown Toronto by the Good Shepherd shelter intend to remind the city about the 5,000 homeless people sleeping outside or in shelters nightly. This tree at King and Bay Streets comes with a social media campaign behind it with the hashtag #HomelessChristmas.

The Good Shepherd doesn’t want Torontonians to forget there are people living on the streets, sleeping in doorways, eating whatever they can find while the rest of us shop for the perfect Christmas morning surprise.

Published in Canada: Toronto-GTA