November
30
2019
Good Will to All is the Greatest Gift
By Jim Bell, CEO ** This column first appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press ** I dread this time of the year. It’s not that I don’t like the Christmas season. In fact, it’s one of my favourite holidays and gives me hope every year. It’s not the fact that the football season is […]
Tags: Community, Homelessness, Jim Bell
October
28
2019
Entertaining Angels Unawares
By Jim Bell, CEO ** This column first appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press ** It happened at 4 in the morning on a cold and rainy night last week. The wind was howling. We had just come back from walking through the downtown core with the Bear Clan. Along the way we had […]
Tags: Homelessness, Jim Bell, Siloam Sleepout
August
30
2019
Manitoba Rallies Around People
By Jim Bell, CEO ** This column first appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press ** It’s been said Manitoba is the hardest place to get someone to move to — and also the hardest place for someone to leave. I believe it. While the prairies aren’t usually known for their majestic landscapes or cosmopolitan […]
August
01
2019
An Open Invitation
One of the most heartbreaking revelations of the final report on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry is the constant threat Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people have to live with. It’s clear that, no matter the setting or region in Canada, security is a key concern for the overwhelming majority of […]
Tags: Homelessness, Jim Bell, Make Room, News, Systems
June
19
2019
Begin at the Beginning
By Jim Bell, CEO ** This column first appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press ** How can we end homelessness in Winnipeg? It’s one of the most frequent questions I get asked. For a long time I didn’t have a clear answer. So I would reply by saying homelessness is a complex issue; that there […]
Tags: Exit Up!, Foster Care, Jim Bell, Systems
March
20
2019
Calling All Villagers
By Jim Bell, CEO **This column first appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press** There’s an adage that says it takes a village to raise a child. Nowadays, it often gets misinterpreted. The proverb was never meant to say that the entire village is responsible for raising that child. It simply means that an entire […]
Tags: Community, Homelessness, Jim Bell, Partnership, Systems
January
30
2019
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”
By Jim Bell CEO, Siloam Mission Every year, more people are coming to us for help. The numbers don’t lie – there is a very real homelessness crisis in Winnipeg. Most who end up at our door struggle with unimaginable trauma, leading to mental breakdown, unemployment, loss of health and the will to fight any […]
January
21
2019
Let’s Talk About Winter
By Jim Bell, CEO – Siloam Mission Cold weather means trouble for those experiencing homelessness. Given that we’re in the thick of it right now, let’s talk about winter. Even though Siloam Mission’s year-round Clothing Room offers donated items such as coats, mitts, socks, and toques free of charge to those who need, we all […]
Tags: Jim Bell, Make Room, News, Saul Sair Health Centre
January
16
2019
For everything there is a season
John White fondly remembers a childhood marked by a love of hockey, art and writing. “In Grade 7, I came in third in all of Canada in writing,” he says. “I used to get up and help the teacher teach writing.” But John’s story is also marked by things he was forced to leave behind, […]
Tags: Community Stories, Recovery, Transition Services, Volunteer
October
25
2018
Mental Health & Housing go hand-in-hand
By Jim Bell, CEO, Siloam Mission In my neighbourhood there used to be an elderly lady who would walk the streets with a rickety cart she pulled behind her. We would spot her at almost all hours of the day, her cart overflowing with plastic garbage bags. She would fill them up with stuff she […]