“This fall, your ride will help ensure Centre 454’s essential services continue uninterrupted during its upcoming move,” said Belong Ottawa’s executive director Shauna-Marie Young.
“While our address will change, our commitment to welcoming and supporting people experiencing poverty, homelessness, isolation, and other barriers remains unwavering.”

She added that she hopes to see teams from many Anglican parishes across the diocese participating along with many others from the broader community. “As we enter this next chapter, your support will help ensure Centre 454 continues to be a place of dignity, connection, and belonging for all who rely on it,” Young said.

How to get involved and help:

On October 3, Belong Ottawa invites everyone to join the Ride for Refuge—a family‑friendly national event where communities walk, ride, roll, rally, and push together in support of people seeking hope, safety, and stability.

Last year, more than 60 participants and 10 teams helped Belong Ottawa reach their goal. This year, every dollar raised will help Centre 454 navigate this critical period of change and ensure essential programs, meals, and supports continue uninterrupted.

Here is how to support Ride for Refuge and help keep Centre 454’s 72‑year Anglican ministry strong:

• Lead a Team:Register as a captain and rally your parish, friends, family, or colleagues.
• Join a Team:Be part of the movement—walk, ride, run or roll and fundraise with us.
• Donate:Support Centre 454 even if you can’t join us on Ride Day. Donate at belongottawa.ca/donate or scan the QR code in the ad below

Our Ride for Refuge page has everything you need to get started, including links to register as a captain, join a team, or donate.

Belong Ottawa Elmvale Acres:

On October 3, all you need to do is show up, enjoy the festivities, and know you are helping secure the future of Centre 454.

Join us. Support us. Ride with us. Together, we will keep community strong.”

The post Ride for Refuge supports Centre 454 on Oct. 3 appeared first on Perspective.

The most immediate concern is the January 2027 deadline to move the centre when a new location has yet been found.

Mary Martha Hale is a parishioner at St. Albans, but she was also the long-time executive director of the centre before she retired in 2014. “January is impossible,” she said, having overseen the only time the centre moved away from St. Albans (to a former office building on Murray Street). She said it took about 18 months to find a place, to go through community consultations to fit up the building, to plan and renovate, and also help the community adapt to the idea of the centre moving.

“But that’s if you can find a place. Twenty-seven years ago, when we found the place on Murray, we had to go before the Committee of Adjustment at the City. We had to go before the Lower Town Community Association and give them information about what we were planning, what kind of services we offer, and actually, we were able to engage one of the members of the community association to sit on our board.” In 2011, as that location was becoming too small to meet their needs, Bishop John Chapman, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa at the time, invited them to come back to St. Albans, this time to occupy the whole basement not just half, and not as tenants of the parish but as a one of two ministries of the Diocese that would be partners in the building.

Considering the current situation, Hale asked, “Are they truly going to close a service for the homeless in downtown Ottawa in January? It would be extremely shameful for the City to close the centre in January with no alternative identified and prepared,” she said. “If that if that is going to go ahead. I’m going to be picketing at the City,” she vowed.

Belong Ottawa has sent a formal, written request to the City to extend its transition time at St. Albans.

St. Albans’ rector, the Rev. Michael Garner is concerned that finding a new location will be difficult. He asks if the City will provide funding for a new location, the move, as well for renovations to adapt a building for Centre 454’s needs.

But even if all of that comes together, he fears that many of the people Centre 454 currently serves won’t be able travel to its new location if it is to be outside of the municipal Ward 12. “A lot of the people who go to the centre are pretty significantly challenged through drug addiction, through homelessness through physical infirmities…. The crux of St. Albans’ concern is those people aren’t going to follow the centre because they live the shelters in that neighbourhood, on the streets in Sandy Hill/Lowertown.

“If those people aren’t able … to go to where the centre goes, who’s going to care for them? Who’s going to feed them? Who’s going to provide them with showers? Garner asked. “Even just the pragmatic issue of public washrooms in the downtown core. There aren’t many. One of the main public washrooms, especially now that the safe injection sites are closed, is Centre 454. Where are people going to go to the bathroom?”

Even though the bathrooms and showers would still exist in the church basement, Garner explained that serving that high acuity population requires professional staff to run and supervise the facility. “As a parish, we don’t have the capacity to run Centre 454 by ourselves…. But there’s still going to be a need for laundry… for food …for showers and all the amazing things the centre does… It’s the concern for the people who are literally our neighbours who we’ve been caring for.”

Both Hale and Garner thought that moving the centre would have negative consequences for residents in the broader area as well. As someone who attends St. Albans, Hale said, ”Every time I go to the church or by the church, I see people leaning up against the gate, and people are using or they’re helping each other, or they’re just sitting there. And then if the centre’s open, there’s fewer people on the street. Those numbers, I think, are going to climb,” she said.

Parishioners hope to meet with Bishop Kathryn Otley in the early fall for a collective discussion of the news of the move. Centre 454 has been an important part of the current parish’s identity since it returned in 2012. As the opioid crisis escalated, some parishioners even took training offered by Centre 454 since 2022, learning how to reverse overdoses with Naxolone kits and carry them with them. Garner says that parishioners have participated in reversing at least 10 overdoses, many of them on Sunday mornings.

“It’s part of the role of the church to be ministering to the vulnerable,’ said Hale. “These are human beings, and the people who I have been in relationship with at the centre are just like you and me, but they’ve just had horrible circumstances in their lives that have pushed them into homelessness.” She noted that being homeless makes people more vulnerable to predators in the drug trade.

“I always felt my work was my faith in action. And the relationships that are built, the lives that are supported, it flows in both directions. My life was enriched by my experiences at the centre. Just as I hope my being at the centre enriched others’ lives,” Hale said.

“The City has benefitted from the centre offering these services at a lower cost than if they had to provide them themselves,” Hale added, mentioning that Mayor Mark Sutcliffe praised Belong Ottawa’s work two years ago when he attended its 70^th anniversary celebration.

Garner said there is a moral question at the heart of the situation. “’Housing first is a great tagline, and obviously, housing is great, but the road to have everyone housed is long. So even if the City has a 100% foolproof plan that is going to work, it probably takes 10 years, and in the meanwhile, we still have to take care of these populations.”

Related reading: 

Belong Ottawa’s Centre 454 asks City for an extension of its time at St. Albans

Ride for Refuge supports Centre 454 on Oct. 3.

The post St. Albans concerned about Centre 454 transition appeared first on Perspective.

As an Anglican Community Ministry, Centre 454 has offered care and essential services to adults experiencing homelessness, poverty, mental health challenges, substance use related harms and social isolation for 72 years. St. Albans Anglican Church at the corner of King Edward and Daly Avenue has housed this ministry for most of that time. The City of Ottawa, which provides core funding for the program, has advised Belong Ottawa that Centre 454 will need to relocate, with a current deadline of end of January 2027.

Belong Ottawa has sent a formal written request for an extension of the transition timeline to ensure its “essential service continues without interruption for everyone who depends on it.”

The prospect of any move of this kind is daunting. Belong Ottawa welcomes 600 to 700 people to its three locations every day, with about 45 percent of them at Centre 454. In addition to meals and other essential services, Belong Ottawa provides referrals to help participants access income, housing, newcomer supports, addiction and mental health treatment services, education, employment, health, legal and other supports.

In recent years, Center 454 has upgraded its kitchen and laundry appliances. The centre provides access to showers, laundry and lockers where people experiencing homelessness can temporarily store their possessions, and cots with clean linens where they may rest in a safe space. Moving locations in the dead of winter would add another level of complexity at a time when the City requires warming centres and safe places people can seek shelter from the cold.

Belong Ottawa is a low barrier drop-in day program. Everyone is welcome, and for the safety of everyone involved, open use of drugs or alcohol has always been prohibited inside the program and on other Community Ministry properties. As the opioid crisis intensified over the past several years, however, the increasing prevalence of public drug use created new challenges for participants, staff, volunteers, and the surrounding neighbourhood. It also intensified pressure from some nearby residents who had long called for Centre 454 to relocate. Belong Ottawa staff have been trained in the use of Naloxone to reverse overdoses, and they regularly save lives. The recent closure of Consumption and Treatment Sites (CTS) in Ottawa, including two in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood near Centre 454, have increased pressure on the city’s health and social service system.

Kale Brown, director of Housing and Homelessness for the City of Ottawa, acknowledged that “Centre 454 is an important part of Ottawa’s social support network and has supported some of the community’s most at-risk residents for decades.” He attributed the need to find a more suitable location to “the needs of program participants and the surrounding community” evolving. “As a primary funder, the City is working closely with Belong Ottawa to review location options and support the transition. As planning continues, our focus remains on maintaining service continuity and supporting community well-being,” and helping “ensure day programs, like Centre 454, remain a welcoming community resource.”

Belong Ottawa’s executive director Shauna Young told Perspective it is vital that any new home be “meaningfully placed,” so it is accessible to the people Centre 454 serves. Launching a fundraising campaign to uphold critical services and fortify Centre 454 through this transition, Belong Ottawa confirmed its commitment “to continuing Centre 454’s compassionate, low barrier support for generations to come. As community needs grow, we are partnering with the City to strengthen this vital service.” A silver lining outcome would be finding a larger and purpose-built space to help meet increasing needs, Young said.

The Rev. Victoria Scott, director general of the Anglican Community Ministries, said: “As attention continues to focus on Centre 454’s relocation, our immediate priority remains advocating for an extension to the January 2027 timeline and helping people understand the impact this transition will have. As we navigate this moment together, we remain committed to holding with care the longstanding witness of this ministry, the people who rely on it, the realities facing the surrounding neighbourhood and the City of Ottawa, and the discernment required to find a new home where Centre 454 can continue offering dignity, stability, and compassionate support.”

The important role Belong Ottawa plays in the community was evident at a summer barbeque held in Dundonald Park on July 22 that was attended by more than 500 people, most of whom participate in programs at one or all three of its locations.

Rabeya Klein told Perspective that Belong Ottawa changed her life. She recalled being isolated in her home in the years before the pandemic. “I would find myself alone all the time, getting depressed and not feeling like I belonged anywhere,” she said. Fortunately, at that time, she lived next door to St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Somerset Street where the St. Luke’s Table program (now part of Belong Ottawa) served hot lunches and offered other assistance to anyone in need. When she walked in for the first time, the staff welcomed her warmly, and she decided to volunteer. She began helping to serve lunches and then moved to calling bingo numbers. Now she serves as a member of the Belong Ottawa Participant Advisory Committee, gathering and expressing feedback from participants and sharing ideas to improve the drop-in day programs. “I’ve made lifelong friends through volunteering at St. Luke’s,” she said, noting that the relationships and opportunities for social connection are one of the best aspects of Belong Ottawa programs.

Calley, told Perspective that she has visited all three locations of Belong Ottawa at various times, said she found the staff are patient and “are always there to listen to you…They helped me understand that there is help out there.” She added that they helped her find housing after she went through a difficult time. Calley also mentioned the importance of the friendships and social connections formed at Belong Ottawa.

The Rev. Victoria Scott reflected on the importance of the Community Ministries for Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. “As a church, we are called both to respond to immediate need and to name the injustices that create that need. Compassion requires us to meet people where they are. Justice requires us to ask why so many people continue to fall through the cracks and what must change so that people and communities can flourish.”

She added, “Too often these conversations become polarized, as though we must choose between supporting vulnerable people and acknowledging the strain that frontline ministries and neighbourhoods are experiencing. We can hold both realities and work toward solutions that serve everyone. We can affirm the dignity of every person while also saying clearly the current situation is failing many people, including those struggling with addiction, those working on the front lines, and the communities around them.  Held together, these truths invite us into a shared work of discernment—one that refuses false choices and seeks the common good by pursuing solutions that honour the dignity of every person and strengthen the well-being of the whole community.”

Anyone wanting to support Belong Ottawa’s request for an extension to the transition timeline will soon be able to participate in a letter-writing campaign through Belong Ottawa’s website. There will also be opportunities to support the ministry financially through an upcoming fundraising campaign.

Supporters and allies are also encouraged to participate in or sponsor a team in the Ride for Refuge on Oct. 3: Ottawa Elmvale Acres (Belong Ottawa) – Ride for Refuge 2026 In the meantime, donations to support Belong Ottawa’s work can be made through the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa’s online donation page.Donate Now – ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF OTTAWA

Belong Ottawa hosts a summer barbecue

Concerns about Centre 454’s transition did not dampen the spirits of the Belong Ottawa staff, volunteers and the more than 500 people who attended a summer barbecue on a hot and sunny day in Dundonald Park.

Related articles:

Ride for Refuge supports Centre 454 on Oct. 3

St. Albans concerned about Centre 454 transition

“Grow through what you go through” — Great, but how?

The post Belong Ottawa’s Centre 454 asks City for an extension of its time at St. Albans appeared first on Perspective.

A modest crowd braved the cold night to attend a benefit concert for Centre 454 performed by the Paul Weber Band, and they were rewarded with great music and songs full of stories and the local history of eastern Ontario.

Mary Martha Hale, a retired former executive director of Centre 454, welcomed the audience and thanked the band for their generosity in doing the concert.

Shauna-marie Young, the current executive director of Belong Ottawa, thanked everyone for coming. “Your presence is an act of solidarity, and it means more now than you may ever know and more than ever before.” Centre 454 faces opposition from businesses and residents in the area who want it closed or relocated. “This evening would not be possible without the ongoing support of St. Albans, and the leadership of the Rev. Michael Garner, and the legacy of Mary Martha Hale,” Young said.

“Every day, the people who walk through the doors of Centre 454 and all of the sites for Belong Ottawa face bitter cold, hunger, loneliness, and the uncertainty of simply making it to tomorrow. In fact, today, on King Edward Street, three of my team who work at 454 offered lifesaving overdose support and revived a gentleman who had stopped breathing and had turned blue overdosing.” By the time paramedics arrived, the man was up walking and refused the ambulance.

“The work we do saves lives,” Young said. Since June 2025, “our team has responded to more 2 ,000 incidents on the streets in this neighbourhood, and with today’s intervention, 27 lives have been saved from overdose,” she reported.

“For more than 70 years, Centre 454 has been a place of refuge, offering warmth, nourishment, dignity, and human connection, said Young. “And the need continues to grow…. Since June of 2025, Belong Ottawa has served more than 56,000 meals from this site here, and 110 ,000 meals at all three drop -in day programs. …Beyond meals, we offer warm, clean, and safe places to rest, along with showers, laundry services, and a real sense of connection. Centre 454 is a doorway to support, and for many, a pathway to recovery. to healing, to employment, to income, and ultimately, it is sanctuary to all.

“Some of our participants recently shared with me at a town hall meeting what 454 means to them: ‘It’s like a second home.’ And another young man said, ‘I feel human again when I’m here.’ Another person responded, “You save lives.”

Young thanked everyone “for believing in Centre 454 and Belong Ottawa, and most importantly, for believing in the people who rely on us. Everyone deserves safety, care, and belonging.”

The post Paul Weber Band performs benefit concert for Centre 454 appeared first on Perspective.