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I have lived in Toronto for a year and a half now, and volunteered with the Ve’ahavta Homeless Outreach Van for nearly half that time. When I first started on the route I felt like I was getting to know a whole other city. I have brushed shoulders with extreme poverty in other contexts and countries, and I feel so blessed to have come across this introduction to Toronto’s street community.
As a university student, it is so valuable to me to be able to go out and connect with people whose experiences differ from my own and to learn something new every time. It feels good to get to know our “customers” by name, and I feel fortunate to have met individuals who I would truly consider friends. Sometimes it does feel like we are just paying visits to friends when we bring coffee and sandwiches, socks, coats, blankets, toiletries… they are small things it seems, but they can make such a difference to a person’s comfort. What really makes me emotional is when I think about the other things that we get to share, like moments… pieces of news, pieces of pain, some wisdom… maybe a few jokes. It is hard to describe the relationships I have built because they are hardly ones of service. Because of these friendships, when I see a face on the street it almost hurts me when I don’t know something of the life behind it, and they something of mine. It is truly a privilege to watch the reactions of the new volunteers every week and to share the experience with the staff as a team.
Although we call it Homeless Outreach, I’ve been starting to think that the street people we serve – those who are severely marginalized, suffering substandard living conditions- are not necessarily homeless, whether or not they are equipped with shelter. I have met brothers who survive on the streets together, and couples, and groups of friends who become each others families. Everyone we encounter has a different story, a different reason for being on the streets, different needs and capacities to cope with a homeless lifestyle that is as multifaceted as those who live it. I have learned that some people are more willing to share than others; Some people will never even tell us their names. Some do not trust us, or for whatever reason, will not accept help at all.
It is not always easy to encounter hardship, but I feel like I am witnessing the consequences of difficulty that could come upon any of us, and choices -consciously made or not- that unfortunately exist in a society we are all part of. Volunteering with Ve’ahavta has provided me the framework and inspiration to have these interactions and consider new perspectives. Thank you.
- Melanie Lindayen, regular Ve`ahavta volunteer
