Community Support

As we become friends with our neighbours we better learn how to support each other. We can become a first point of contact for other necessary services or just a friend to accompany someone to a hard appointment. To support our community well, we see the unique needs of each individual. This means getting to know them on a personal level and learning which services are best suited to connect them with. We are committed to connecting our neighbours with the supports offered throughout our community. 

A Trusted Connection Point is the Foundation

We have been building trust with our neighbours for 22 years. This means that people often share their experiences, their needs, and their lives with us in ways that they may not feel comfortable sharing immediately with other, more formal support service providers.

Sometimes the very things that we need help with are the same things that prevent us from accessing that help. For many people in our community, severe anxiety prevents them from leaving their own spaces independently. This can stop them from accessing the mental health supports that they need. For others, walking into a doctor’s office can be traumatic if they have faced discrimination in receiving healthcare; having a friend to accompany them can help individuals follow-through in attending appointments, and can make all the difference in how comfortable they feel during the appointment. 

With the established trust that we have with the community, we offer support that helps people to feel enabled to access the services they need. After building connections with our neighbours, we can connect them to vital community resources. Barriers to access are complex in our community, and that is why we work so hard to bridge the gap between the lives of individuals we serve and the supports that they need for wellness and flourishing.

Our Community Support Looks Like:

• Accompanying a friend to an appointment or needed service. 
• Making a call with someone to set up an appointment.
• A trip to the vet to support a friend.
• Driving someone with a disability to a needed service
• A visit or a call for help on the side of the road
• Connecting someone with other essential services in Ottawa
• Taking someone to coffee who can no longer visit the drop-in

As we help out our neighbours with tasks that are difficult for them to do alone, we support them emotionally. To many, we have become an emotional home in Lowertown.