[homeles_ot-l] Shelter mourns dozens of homeless who died in Ottawa in 2008

[Lynne Browne]

CBC online… HYPERLINK "http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/"http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/
under Ottawa Headlines.


Shelter mourns dozens of homeless who died in Ottawa in 2008


Last Updated: Friday, November 21, 2008 | 12:32 PM ET 


Close to 100 people crowded into downtown shelter Friday morning to remember
more than 40 shelter users who died this year in Ottawa.

"I feel like it's been a hard year," said Andrew Cheam, a co-ordinator at
Centre 454, which hosted the memorial service in its mess hall. It was the
first time the shelter had held such a service to remember many people in
the community at once.

About 10 people came before the crowd to share their memories of those whose
struggles on the street ended over the past 11 months. A list of the dead,
who ranged in age from 19 to the early 60s, were read out and the crowd sang
Amazing Grace in their memory.

About 900 to 1,000 people live in shelters downtown, said Paul Soucie,
co-executive director of the Shepherds of Good Hope shelter.

Ronald Waldrif, who has been using the Centre 454 shelter for two years,
said he knew some of them, including one man who was starting to get his
life back together when he died in a hit-and-run collision.

He added that many committed suicide. Others died as a result of homicide,
illness, or drug overdoses, Cheam said.

Waldrif said he wanted to attend the service to show respect "not only for
the homeless but for the other ones out there struggling … to get them more
support."

Many people found out by attending the service which of their friends had
died, Cheam said. Some hadn't been seen for awhile, but had been assumed to
have moved away.

Cheam said he had known some of the people on the list for 20 years, and had
spent hours playing cards and games or reading the newspaper with them.

"And then that's gone and death happens so quickly."

He added that he was pleased at how the event pulled the community together
and plans to do it again.

 

 

 

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7 
HYPERLINK "mailto:lbrowne at ysb.on.ca"lbrowne at ysb.on.ca,  613-241-7913 ext 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca  

 


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