Return of mobile outreach service in Thunder Bay, Ont., speaks to high demand for support

As Brendan Carlin puts it, "sandwiches and water keep people alive."

But Shelter House's Street Outreach Services (SOS) program in Thunder Bay, Ont., is about much more than that.

The program was discontinued in 2022 due to a lack of funding. Since then, the effects of its loss have lingered in the northwestern Ontario city, especially as homelessness has continued to rise.

Bringing the service back has been a key priority for community partners since before Carlin became executive director of Shelter House.

Last week, the organization celebrated the program's return, thanks to funding from the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, Lakehead Social Planning Council, and the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre.

"It's been a great response," said Carlin. "All of [our partners] are pretty much saying, 'we're so glad it's back because we have clients who are, for whatever reason, not able to be in shelter or they need help' — and so we're glad to be able to provide this program for them."

SOS provides mobile outreach, crisis support and harm reduction services to some of the city's most vulnerable. Drivers circulate through different neighbourhoods to offer people essential supplies, and can also bring them to the shelter, detox or other key hubs as needed.

"If you're a business and maybe there's an intoxicated person on your front step, give us a call and we can come talk to that person and hopefully get them the help they need," Carlin said.

Diverting people from the hospital, jail

At its onset, SOS was designed to help divert people from emergency services or incarceration, instead connecting them with more appropriate resources to meet their needs, Carlin explained.

"If somebody doesn't need to go to jail for the night, then they shouldn't. If they don't need to be in hospital, then they shouldn't — not only for that person but also for the emergency services," he said.

"Getting someone put in jail overnight might help that business or a neighbourhood in that moment, but it's really not solving any long-term problems."

A mainstay of the program is the connections clients build with the drivers, which can help them gain better access to other supports as they work to meet their goals, he added.

"Having first of all, a trusted source of nourishment, perhaps even just a conversation regularly, is really important for some of these people because there's a real mistrust of institutions in a lot of cases," he said.

"If we can provide that consistent, trusting face for a while, then maybe eventually through conversations, they can be convinced to access some of those services that they were hesitating to access in the past."

SOS operates seven days a week from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m., with the goal of filling gaps in services that people often experience overnight. It can be reached at 807-620-7678.

"We're hoping it's a success and that we'll have it for years to come," Carlin said.

Raising funds through community garage sale

Meanwhile, Shelter House is also working with Community Clothing Assistance to hold its first community-wide garage sale.

Inspired by a similar event in the City of Orillia, people are being encouraged to sign up to host garage sales at their homes. Their properties will then be added to an online map of participants, so shoppers know where to go.

"This collaboration will help to feed and clothe those who need it the most in our community," said Community Clothing Assistance president, Linda Gambee, in a news release.

All of the proceeds — as well as unsold items — will go back to the organizations.

"It's hard times these days, so if someone perhaps doesn't have the money but wants to donate, but has things that they're looking to get rid of, it's one of those ways to make low-barrier opportunities for people to give back to their community," said Champagne Thomson, development manager at Shelter House.

Garage sale hosts will receive a charitable tax receipt. While one perk is decluttering their homes for a good cause, Thomson said, they're also being given the chance to meet their neighbours. 

"I feel like in Thunder Bay, that's something that we could really benefit from, is having this opportunity to connect with one another, be able to kind of share the little nitty gritty bits of your life that end up coming out in the things that you find in the back of your closet, that you forgot you had from your Oma or Opa 50 years ago," she said. 

The event is being held Saturday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., with Shelter House selling donated items at First Wesley United Church.