With Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada no longer providing funding to house 130 asylum seekers in Ottawa hotels, people of faith in the nation’s capital have stepped up to assist newcomers facing homelessness. Volunteers and clergy from Kitchissippi United Church, including Council Chair Denise Bonomo and Reverend Daniel Addai Fobi, have helped 20 asylum seekers obtain housing over the past few weeks. The effort included plenty of hands-on work and lots of running around town. Church members drove U-Haul trucks filled with furniture to furnish new apartments, and they met with landlords to negotiate lease terms and to serve as references, especially when many were reticent to accept rental applications from asylum seekers.
CBC Ottawa’s Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang asked Ms. Bonomo why Kitchissippi United Church decided to get so involved assisting newcomers with housing. Her answer was clear and unwavering. “That’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re to welcome, be hospitable, be courageous in taking on social injustices,” Ms. Bonomo said.
This United Church congregation, located at 630 Island Park Drive, isn’t alone among faith groups in our city stepping up to assist asylum seekers facing homelessness. The CBC report also highlighted initiatives by Kanata-based Matthew House, notably its furniture bank that furnished the homes of 1,800 people in need in 2024. The charity’s name is a reference to Matthew 25:35, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, where Jesus says: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Both Kitchissippi United Church and Matthew House are local examples of the power of faith in action.
(*Feature photo credit: Kitchissippi United Church / United Church of Canada)
Born in Montreal, Christopher Adam has called Ottawa home for the past twenty years. He received his MA from Carleton University, with a thesis focusing on twentieth century European church history, and a PhD in History from the University of Ottawa. Over the years, he has published widely and works in the faith-based charitable sector in Ottawa.