Local Partner: The Refuge

My name is Clarence Keesman. I'm the executive director of The Refuge. The Refuge is a charitable organisation. We work with homeless, street-involved, at-risk, and struggling youth. We've been doing it since 1999 here in Oshawa and the Durham region.

We serve breakfast, we serve lunch, and we have laundry facilities. But at the end of the day, what we really want to be is a community where our youth feel loved, nurtured, encouraged, safe, and a place where they belong. By creating a place where they feel Christ’s love and kindness, they are loved, nurtured, encouraged, safe, and able to belong. Hopefully, through that, they'll get some healing so they can move forward in life.

I'm Simon Kopis, and I either work at The Refuge or I just come here to chill. Back in 2019, I was working with a friend and he introduced me to The Refuge, and I've been coming here ever since. It's impacted my life because I struggle with mental health, so I have people to talk to here. If it wasn't for The Refuge, I wouldn't be here today.

In the past couple of years, we've had more youth living on the streets than I have seen in probably fifteen years of working at The Refuge. We often expect homelessness to look like someone dirty, unkempt, pushing a bag or cart around. Over the past three years, I've seen an increase in our youth doing that, so yes, that does happen. But homelessness also looks like someone you'd never expect: someone clean-cut, someone just trying to make ends meet. The point is, you never know if someone is struggling with homelessness.

We have this new building at 357 Simcoe Street which we are converting into twenty-six affordable housing units. It has been a long journey that started in April 2020. We began the zoning process, got our plans in place, and submitted to the government for the Rapid Housing Initiative. We're still waiting for a site plan and permit a year later. I keep reminding myself through this whole process that yes, I've got youth who need housing, people who need housing. This is God’s project.

I think ways that you or others can get involved have to do with your skill sets, your passion, your dream. Whatever someone’s gifting is, whether it be here at The Refuge or any other agency or mission that God is moving people to, just do it. Get involved. Be passionate about whatever you're passionate about. Just do it and see where God leads.