Experiences from the Centretown Emergency Food Centre: Learning about Poverty

A few years ago, before I began my studies at Carleton, I came to Ottawa to visit my sister who was studying at Ottawa University. And I was struck by the number of people living on the streets of Ottawa in the dead of winter. Why would one of the coldest capitals in the world leave people to sleep outside in weather that’s below freezing?

Now, a few years later, I don’t quite notice them in the same way. Maybe I’ve become accustomed to seeing them there much like, it appears, the rest of Ottawa has.

It seemed so simple before. Get them off the streets, give them a safe place to sleep, food to eat, give them support and let them know they matter. I didn’t know much about Canada’s social system at that time so I didn’t understand why it wasn’t helping them.

Since beginning my studies I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the main reasons Canada has not helped the poor and homeless is due to structural limitations. The current system hasn’t strayed far from its roots in the poor laws and so it still overlooks many marginalized groups who are unable to maintain adequate work. Poverty is not a priority to our government and Canadians haven’t yet pushed for it to be one. It is not a secret that our North American culture values competition over community, and so the community suffers.

I currently work at the Centretown Emergency Food Centre (CEFC), one of the many in-kind services Canada offers to people in need. Usually our clients are on social assistance or making minimum wage. They are the invisible poor. These same people will most likely also have to access services for health, clothing, shelter, child support, etc.

Some clients only access our services for a month or two while they get back on their feet, but the majority will use its services on a monthly basis. And the number of new users has greatly increased since the recent recession hit – up 18% from March 2008 to March 2009 (Hunger Count 2009). This means that Canada’s social system is not helping them regain independence.

There are so many barriers. Each person is facing many difficulties and has a completely unique situation, and any unexpected circumstance can be cause for crisis. But they all show amazing resilience just by surviving. Many of our clients manage severe health issues with very little resources. There is a lady who visits the food centre very regularly. She lives on her own with what seems like quite an extreme mental disorder. But she has managed to create a world of routine in which she can cope and survive day to day life. I’ve seen many physical ailments, and served people who have just come out of the hospital for major surgeries. And not long ago, a man I was serving simply thanked me for listening to him. So often the people we are serving at the centre are alone and hurting.

I have experienced humility, kindness, patience and gratefulness beyond what one would expect from people under such stress. They exhibit great perseverance, resourcefulness and the ability to cope. So many feel lonely, hurt or abandoned. These are the people that Canada’s social system isn’t doing enough to help, and where a food centre can only offer so much.

Having experienced the frustrations of frontline work, I pursued a placement in policy work and I was given the opportunity to intern at CPJ on the Dignity for All campaign. Wanting to change the broken system I experienced at the CEFC, I had hoped to discover how I could influence political decisions and affect our governments’ policy around poverty. What I’ve learnt is that change takes time but real changes can be made; the number of elderly living in poverty has been dramatically reduced due to changes in policy. These changes need strong public support to make it through the layers of red tape that stand in the way.

While reflecting on my experiences I’ve come to the conclusion that although it can be discouraging to work on the frontlines within a broken system, and difficult to maintain momentum throughout the bureaucratic process of affecting government policies, we must continue on both fronts because when we do we are sharing God’s love. It’s important to continue to work towards a poverty free Canada because in doing so we’re showing people that they matter and that as brothers and sisters we will stand in solidarity with them until their worth is realized.