Samaritan Centre
344 Elgin Street P3E3N9 Greater Sudbury, ON, Canada

The Drop-In team of staffers held a Graduation Party for our placement student today. Tiffany's been with us for 8 weeks as a placement student in Mental Health and Addictions. Some extra good news is that we also received some funding to hire her for a short contract as a Mental Health and Addictions worker with us.

It's Waffle Thursday today at our Warming Centre breakfast program complete with real maple syrup.

As a weary world rejoiced on this snowy Christmas morn the Outreach team was connecting with and caring for our beloved clients on the streets of this beautiful city. For this I am grateful.

GREAT NEWS!! Through your generosity, we have received a fridge AND a 4-slice toaster. If you wish to donate directly, you can do so by e-transfer at [email protected]. The need is increasing, and we are determined to rise to the occasion. Thank you. -- We are looking for a refrigerator and 4-slice toaster to accomodate our newly added morning warming centre program for our BELOVED clients. Please message for details or if you can help us out with this.

May hope, joy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

This afternoon a few of our Drop-In Centre clients gave an impromptu house concert. We have a primal connection with music and on this cold January afternoon this warmed our hearts and gave us hope that better days are ahead.

I'm appreciative of days like this when an elected official visits our facility to discuss the needs and concerns of our beloved clients not only by chatting with me but by meeting some of those we serve. Thank you for your public service Jamie West.

Thanks to Moe A. and his team for the donation of these winter bags for our beloved clients. They will be distributed by Outreach this week. #LoveYourNeighbour #LoveYourNeighbourhood

Two things that are making a difference in the lives of our beloved clients at our Drop-In Centre are: our new chalkboard wall and anti-gravity chairs. These have enriched the lives of our people. Thanks to D. who did a superb job painting the wall.

It's cold out there. The Coldest Night of the Year is a covid-safe, family-friendly walk to raise money for charities serving people experiencing homelessness, hurt, and hunger. Walk with us virtually or in-person on February 20, 2021 there’s a place for everyone! In all that this year has been The Samaritan Centre has remained committed to holding space for care, community and services for citizens living on the margins of this community. Various grants have allowed us to ...hire 5 new staff positions and expand our programming and our reach all while adjusting to Covid and following all protocols. We have 6 teams registered for our event and I would love to see that number hit 20 by the end of 2020. While it's a big ask Sudburians have always had tender hearts for this event and the people we serve. So register, form a team and help us raise some money. Thanks in advance for your generosity Sudbury. See more

Thanks to a grant from Sudbury Community Foundation we have hired an Outreach Worker to provide support and connection along with extra protein and other small necessities to citizens living on the margins in the downtown core. This is Robin bringing light into a dark place as we continue to care for our beloved clients. #StompinTomphotobomb

Overnight Warming Centre is now offering an area for carts to be stored overnight. The area is located in the centre for life parking lot (a caged in parking spot) and will be open between 10pm-12am for drop off and then will be opened at 7am. This act of kindness will benefit our beloved clients who cart.

About Face is a photo journal chronicling the stories of some of the clients of our facility. Published in 2018 as a collaborative initiative with Cambrian College copies are available for $20 each. Call (705) 669-0111 or message for details.

This afternoon at 2 pm the tent city situated at Memorial Park was asked by authorities to dismantle. Homelessness, mental health and addictions are nuanced social issues. These issues are not going away nor will they solve themselves. What is needed in part is strong community partnerships working collaboratively for the greater good of humanity. A ridiculously big shout out to Independent Living, Inner City Home, Councillor Bill Leduc, a few decent police officers and some outstanding community members for providing food and shelter for those displaced from Memorial Park today. God help us be people who love.

Hot lunch meals on the regular for our beloved clients. This is so, so good.

Thanks to the team from Lacroix Lawyers for their donation of blankets, pajamas, coffee cards and other goodies for our beloved clients. Their "Bring Your Dog to Work Day" made their visit extra special.

Our annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser is live and open for registrations. With your safety in mind, 2021's event will look different than it has in the past. The registration fee has been waived and we will offer a blended event with the option of doing the event virtually with your team bubble or in-person with scheduled walk times and following limit-of-assembly rules and covid-19 safety protocols. Save-The-Date on Saturday, February 20, 2021 for #cnoy2021

Launching tonight and open every night until April 30, 2021. This is good news for our vulnerable population. Please share with your circles.

These are our neighbours. This is our neighbourhood. The Samaritan Centre is a client-centered, multi-use facility. We hold space for services, care and community for some of Sudbury’s most vulnerable citizens. We CHERISH as we hope to be cherished We VALUE as we hope to be valued And, We LOVE as we hope to be loved.... In praxis of this I identify a responsibility to engage. To present to this neighbourhood our care and our reverence, our benevolence and our hospitality, our goodness and our co-operation. The Samaritan Centre remains dedicated to holding space for this city’s most vulnerable citizens and we do so as part of a neighbourhood whose collective vision seeks to cultivate a resilient community where hope, dignity and humanity can grow. In that, I trust that empathy is our way forward and that by being practitioners of empathy our comprehension of the fierce love of God flourishes. #LoveYourNeighbour #LoveYourNeighbourhood See more

BASIC Recovery Ministries will be launching 2 micro-groups tonight at The Samaritan Centre . No sign up necessary; just show up.

It's World Mental Health Day! -Close to 1 billion people have a mental disorder -Depression is a leading cause of illness & disability -1 person dies every 40 s...econds from suicide -3 million people die every year due to harmful use of #MoveForMentalHealth: Let's invest!

October 4th would have marked M.’s 23rd Birthday. I join with the family of M. in leaving flowers at the site of his death to mark M.’s life and the lives of others to overdose. I challenge you to do the same as a means of letting elected officials at municipal, provincial and federal levels know that this loss of life is egregious and requires an immediate, comprehensive, collaborative, evidence-based and compassionate response. The Special Advisory Committee on the Epidemic... of Opioid Overdose published new data showing 16,364 people died of an apparent opioid-related overdose in Canada between Jan. 1, 2016 and March 31, 2020. Executing COVID-19 public health has exacerbated this crisis. Co-chairs of The Special Advisory Committee Doctor Tam and Doctor Russell say..."This could be attributed to a growing unpredictable and toxic street drug supply, limited access to services available for people who use substances, and feelings of isolation and anxiety".

The mother of Blade Jordan Trudeau Roy has asked me to let our beloved clients know about the death of her son. We are so sorry for the profound loss faced by those who knew and loved Blade. He was a neighbour and client of ours; this young man will be deeply missed here. We pray that God's love and strength would be with the family in their grief. Blade Jordan Trudeau Roy January 3, 1996-October 4, 2020

This city. She reminds me of God's creativity in more detail and that God is at home among the broken always and forever. As we meander through our neighborhoods may we be astonished as we listen to the stories we are invited into. Pay attention; it's your neighborhood. #LoveYourNeighbour #LoveYourNeighbourhood

Ride for Refuge event day. A wet, mildly treacherous hike up the Lively escarpment to raise over $3200 to go towards The Samaritan Centre and our new rooftop HVAC unit. Thanks for your continuous support. #ride2020 #nobikesrequired

Anyone recognize this spot? The band Mission are Monday night regulars as they share their music with our clients. They are on the cusp of releasing an album and got an absolutely perfect morning for their photo shoot today.

Flu Clinic for our clients this Wednesday. Please share with your vulnerable circles.

Rooftop interview with CTV as a last minute invitation to register for or donate to the RIDE FOR REFUGE fundraiser this Saturday for The Samaritan Centre (New Hope Outreach Services). The beauty of this neighbourhood overwhelms me. Why am I on the roof? To showcase our 5 aging rooftop HVAC units for which I've set a fundraising goal of $20 000. Am I wearing my orange shirt today. Yes I am. #loveyourneighbour #lovethisneighbourhood

I am heart sick. This tribute was left by the loving family of M. age 22. There have been numerous overdoses within our client population in September. It is altogether too much for our beloved clients, our neighbourhood and our city. Carry and know how to use a Naloxone kit, be watchful of those you know who are drug users and be prepared to direct them towards the particular supports that they need, lobby for solutions and demand something better from powers in charge at all levels. God in the sorrows and sufferings of our lives give us hope to cling to and resolutions to act upon.

I had the honor of meeting A. this afternoon. She accessed our services in the past and she wanted to come by to say thanks to our volunteers and staff for what they give to our community. This note serves as a tangible reminder that The Samaritan Centre and our partner agencies exist to serve the citizens of Sudbury with great love as we live our collective vision of creating a resilient community where hope, dignity and humanity can grow.

Join us for our fall fundraiser. It's Covid 19 safe and family friendly. #nobikesrequired #ride20

It's been a heavy week. The weight is that of loss and grief. And yet, we aren't without hope as we carry on held in the tension between pain and love. I'm so thankful for Heather and Kim who remind us of God's great love on Elgin Street in Sudbury each and every week.

Join us for this Covid-safe, family-friendly fundraiser! Start a team, and fundraise with RIDE Freestyle. You can walk, run, bike, paddle, bake, and more while raising much-needed funds for people hurt by displacement or exploitation around the world. https://rideforrefuge.org/location/sudbury

We grieve over this health crisis and the lives lost to overdose in Sudbury.