Bassem was on the streets, without hope, until he walked into Scott Mission.
There are many visitors to Scott Mission who are recent arrivals in Canada and have little if any support, hoping to make a better life for himself.
While he gratefully found himself in Canada, it was harder to support himself than he had imagined. All he knew was that he was here and that a decision from immigration was pending. Unable to work because his paperwork had not yet been processed, Bassem soon found himself living on the street, clutching a small shopping bag of his things. He was cold, fearful, and without hope for his future here.
“I just had my stuff in a bag and no security,” he says, recalling his first visit to Scott Mission.
When he came into our Welcome Centre at 365 Spadina, where our men’s shelter and health clinic are also located, he was shocked to be greeted with lovingkindness. He felt blessed to be given a hot meal, a shower, and a warm bed in our men’s shelter. He even had Internet access and laundry facilities.
With this newfound security, he was able to let his guard down a little to receive peace and healing from his experiences on the street.
“Being off the street means that I don’t have to sleep outside sitting up,” he says, because living on the streets requires constant vigilance against theft and violence.
“The first thing Scott Mission gave me was security – security to sleep without fear of harm or losing my belongings. The Mission gave me a warm place, a hot meal, shower, and people that share kindness.” he says with gratitude.
Bassem is now part of the Scott Mission community, and our team is helping advance his immigration application so that he can find full-time employment and build a better future here in Canada.
“When you come here, you feel they want to help you,” he says. “They want to improve your life, and they have helped me heal from the effects of living on the street. It’s not easy but now I feel like I can move in the right direction.”
Philippians 4:5-7 says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Julian Picon, Director of Shelter and Recovery says, “I can see how God is using the mission to transform lives like Bassem’s. When a man arrives at the shelter they are like an iceberg with layers and layers of problems accumulated over a lifetime. But we take them in and with gentle guidance, they are not accustomed to, we begin the process to warm them up.”
Julian continues, “First, we must meet their basic needs and then we begin to assess other ways to help through our medical clinic, case management, counselling programs, and spiritual care. Within just a few days, we see they are more at peace and the healing process, from being on the street, begins.”
Because of YOU…Scott Mission is here…serving the most vulnerable in our society. It’s your compassion that fuels the work we do everyday – helping individuals and families to find peace and a hopeful future.
