Hope Living

Who We Are

Hope Living, located at 256 King Edward Ave is one of the Supportive Housing options offered by Shepherds of Good Hope. This type of housing is offered for people living with mental illness and episodes of homelessness. This is often referred to as the first stage of Supportive Housing at Shepherds of Good Hope. Our focus is on helping our tenants develop the skills required for more independent living.

Hope Living is comprised of 35 rooms — each one including a bed, chest of drawers or shelving unit and a refrigerator. Shared common areas include the kitchen, TV room, a resource room, laundry room, and washrooms. Rental rates are determined by the current maximum rates for Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program.

What We Offer

Hope Living staffs the program 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Staff are trained in harm reduction techniques.  The programming is geared toward developing life skills, community living, and reintegration into the larger community.

Weekly activities include workshops, community kitchens, and a variety of leisure activities. Support is offered in regards to medication management and money management, as well as employing a number of universal case management techniques.

These activities and programs would not be a possibility without the care and commitment of the dedicated volunteers who serve at Shepherds of Good Hope.

There are many agencies that partner with Shepherds of Good Hope in order to provide the many services to those in their care. Current partnerships include Canadian Mental Health Association, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, John Howard Society, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, the Humane Society and various Assertive Community Treatment Teams.

Our Community

The staff at Hope Living work closely with the tenants to create a greater sense of community for those living in the program. The staff hold monthly tenant meetings where the tenants get to express their concerns and work on solutions as well as suggest changes that they would like to see made.

Tenants also assist the staff with preparing for activities and even volunteer to run activities from time to time. All tenants are encouraged to participate in the activities at a level that they feel comfortable with. There are also monthly birthday parties where all tenants are invited to celebrate together.

The tenants also take an active role in maintaining the community atmosphere on the floor by assisting in the cleaning of common areas.

Social Initiative

Social initiative is a way for tenants to become active members of the community they live in and to ‘give back’ to that community. There are a number of opportunities for participation ranging in time and ability level. These opportunities can include cleaning common areas or removing garbage or taking recycling out to the recycling bins.  Activities like these increase the quality of life on the floor and help restore dignity and self worth.

Social Enterprise

Hope Living has recently opened a Tuck Shop on the floor. It is entirely run by the tenants and offers a variety of products to purchase at a lower cost than would be found elsewhere. It is a great way to help with wise budgeting and a good introduction to commerce.

For further information,
please contact:

Javier Jovel
Program Manager
613-688-2928 ext 345
javier@shepherdsofgoodhope.com