What do you see when you look a this picture?
Friends? Neighbours? Three guys hanging out in the park?
All of the above?
What you are seeing is "community building at work."
Before meeting at at Cecil in 2020 Jose, and Co. were strangers each trying to survive the pandemic the best they could. All were living precariously, juggling where they would sleep at night, and how they would spend their days.
With businesses closed, and public services limited, they found themselves at Cecil (which was one of the few community centre still open) where they could charge their devices, get water and snacks, and most importantly talk with each other, and Cecil staff about their lived experiences.
While Cecil has always warmed hearts, and hands, Jose, and Co. inspired us to do more for our unhoused, neighbours. Today we offer:
- A Community Lunch once a month to bring our community members together;
- A Community Access Hub that offers public access computers, and WIFI, and;
- A Breaking Barriers Initiative to help those who are unhoused to become housing ready, and those who are precariously housed to maintain their housing.
Our existing resources however, cannot address growing needs.
Many of our unhoused neighbours continue to "sleep rough" while waiting for housing. Others report that they are still hungry even though they use local food banks, while still others tell us that they need to "rotate bills" so that they can afford rent.
While Cecil works with other not for profits to alleviate the root causes of poverty we need your HELP to address its impacts.
Your donation of $25 will make it possible for us to provide a hungry neighbour with nutritious snacks for a week.
If you can give a little more, a donation of $50 will provide a lonely neighbour with social recreational activities for a month while a donation of $100 can go towards our our Winter Warming work that continues throughout the cold weather months.
