New Years is a time of endings and beginnings. A time to look back at the year just past. A time to plan for a better tomorrow.
At the Di, 2009 was a year of doing what we do best – helping those in need find their place in our city. It was a year of change. A year of growth. A year of sorrow and joy walking hand in hand as we welcomed new faces and said good-bye to those who lost their lives amongst us. A year in which to bend, to lean into fear, to turn into the wind and take gusts of adversity on the cheek. A year to face tough times head on, never bending beneath the weight of life’s daily grind pounding away at our commitment to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve and our belief we make a difference in the quality of life for everyone in our city.
This year has brought change from every direction. Early in the year, the earth moved around us and development in the East Village bore down upon our corner of the world in earnest. Progress mowed down old buildings, old roads, old parks. It closed off sheltering spaces, and opened up new avenues for getting along with the communities around us. Around the corner and just down the street we received support from the Provincial government that provided us the necessary resources to acquire Sundial Apartments; another step forward in our goal to provide workable solutions to our clients that will lead them from absolute homelessness back to living successfully in a home where they belong.
Throughout the year, no matter in good times or bad, we have been grateful for those who stood with us to weather the storms of adversity and the perils of poverty and homelessness. We are grateful for those who dropped in to lend a hand, to serve, to clean up and to help sort through the generosity Calgarians deposited on our doorstep. To the media for telling our stories, and the public for wanting to hear more. And, we are grateful for those who let us know where they stood on the other side of the homeless debate.
One size does not fit all. And one solution, one agency, cannot meet the needs of every Calgarian. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes Calgarians from every walk of life, from every side of the street to end homelessness, one person at a time, 365 days of the year. And it takes tolerance, patience, understanding and a commitment to treat every human being with dignity and respect, no matter their address, to create a better place to call home for everyone.
Regardless of where people stand, on the street beside us or on the sidelines looking on, or on the risers speaking out against where we stand at the entrance to our downtown core, taking care of people who need our help makes this a great city. We are grateful for the support we receive from the provincial government as well as the people of this remarkable city. You have made it possible for us to lead the country in providing care and services to those who have lost their way and found themselves at our doors. We should all be proud of how we care for people in need. We should all be proud of our role in building, supporting and maintaining this place called, The Di.
In our forty-eight years of ending homelessness, we measure our success by the lives we know did not end because they had nowhere to go that night it turned 30 below, and every other night, whatever the temperature. We measure our success in the over one million meals we served this year with the help of our sponsors, donors, volunteers and stakeholders. We measure success by the over 350,000 bed nights we provided to people who had nowhere else to go. And, we measure our success by the over 10,000 times our door opened to welcome a new face to this place where homelessness ends, one person at a time.
We may not be able to stop what drives someone to the street; we can stop their fall, lighten their load and end their belief they have nowhere else to go. There is always a place for someone to find themselves again at the Di. There is always a way to change homelessness when we bring people in from the cold and give them a chance to start looking for a new direction.
In this year of continued economic uncertainty, global unrest and its fallout of homelessness walking our streets, we are grateful for the thousands of people who stand with us in the belief, every life has value. Every life counts.
As we get ready to enter our forty-ninth year of ending homelessness, we prepare ourselves for what the future has to bring by drawing strength from the people who come to us and ask, “How can I help?” They give us the courage and the resources we need to continue to answer the door to those who turn up and ask, “Can you help me?” In answering their questions, we keep hope alive for all those lost to the street and all those waiting at home for their loved ones to return.
Thank you for standing by us as we continue to work to keep hope alive on both sides of the street of homelessness.
i used to be able to bring the stand by me video up but it is not letting me do this anymore. i really enjoyed this video. if you are selling it i would gladly buy it
Hi Margaret. Here’s a link to our YouTube site with all of our DI videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/CalgaryDropIn
We’re not selling the video at this time. Thanks for your interest.