News & Events

As a young boy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carlos’s first job was to wrap chicken eggs in newspaper for his mother. “I would take forever,” he admits. “Because I read all the newspapers first.” But it was in these stories that he first became fascinated with Canada. “I read stories about Greenpeace and blue berets […]

At 70 years old, Greg is a golden ray of sunshine every time he sits down at Our Place to begin his volunteer shift. Compassionate, eager and always ready to roll up his sleeves or slip on a hairnet, Greg has been helping out around Our Place for the last nine years. Volunteering is in […]

“I’ve got a giant hole in my heart — not being in contact with my kids, not being in touch with my family, my sister. . . .” — Robert Stewart When men lose control of their lives, there is a tendency to hide away. Whether that’s shame, embarrassment or just a heaviness that makes […]

Joining the workforce after a long absence can be a struggle at best, but when you also suffer from multiple barriers such as homelessness, brain injury or addiction, the hurdles can seem unsurmountable. A new program at Our Place called Next Steps to Employment wants to change that. “We’ve just begun our second intake,” says […]

Can love change a person? Can it make you look in the mirror and instead of seeing your own troubled past reflected back, see the person you wish to become? Dan and Brandy like to believe so. “My dad took me on my first B&E (break and enter) when I was 10 years old,” says […]

It was only after his own personal experience with therapy that Craig Extine realized he wanted something different for his life. He wanted to help others. As the drop-in mental health counsellor who volunteers with Our Place every Monday, Craig now helps the family members with many of their issues: addiction, anxiety, grief and trauma. […]

“After 30 years together, we were living apart, and not by choice.” When you’ve been married for 32 years, the idea of living apart seems unfathomable. And when those decades have been as turbulent as Greg and Tracy’s life has been, your partner becomes your rock, your only anchor in the storm. Greg and Tracy […]

One of my proudest moments of participating in the Victoria Pride Parade was when a young, pre-op transgender woman said that she never felt brave enough to walk in the parade until the day she marched with the staff and family of Our Place. It said a lot about this unique downtown centre for our […]

“It is overwhelming what you see on the streets. The pain, the suffering, and the children. My God, the children who are out there by themselves in the middle of the night. It’s terrifying.” — Miatreya When you first meet Miatreya, the vision of her working on an organic farm and raising her two sons […]