Last January, a rotting old building used for low-rent apartments in Kenora, Ont., was destroyed by fire. Forty tenants were left homeless, their few belongings ruined. With nowhere else to go, they made their way to Anamiewigummig, or the Kenora Fellowship Centre, the town's only overnight emergency shelter, where they can find coffee and a warm meal, comfy couches with a view of pristine waters, company from the resident pet turtle, and most importantly, someone to talk to about their problems.
On this day, a sunny but chilly afternoon in May, the men from the burned apartment building are gathered for a meeting to help them figure out where to go next. The centre's stalwart caregiver Doris Horne — whom many of the men call mom — is on hand as always.
“Doris is a good lady, keeping us here because we have no place to go,” said one man.
“Doris helped us out. She gave us coffee, doughnuts and respect,” said another.
It is for such care that these people come. Tales of living on the street or in fetid apartments, of drunken nights spent in the town's detox centre, of addiction, of loss, of poverty are all too common. Horne herself, who recently retired from the centre, has wrestled with a troubled past, losing her mother at a young age, growing up with a distant and alcoholic father, and later experiencing abuse at the hands of an alcoholic husband. Now 72, she found healing at the centre, where the people she serves have become her family.
“They're so special,” said Horne. “They're kind. They're good — and most people don't see that. I love them all so much.”
The centre's regular Sunday worship service attracts a small but devoted crowd; ditto for the weekly Bible study. Henry Hildebrandt, who has led the centre for the past 15 years, and all the workers are part of the community. They are invited to aboriginal feasts and celebrations, are honoured with gifts, and are greeted warmly on the street.
“It's a ministry that's based on building relationships and trust,” said Hildebrandt of the mission that began in 1964. “That seems to me to be one of the essential aspects of the ministry of Jesus. He reached out to those who weren't part of the dominant society.”
Back at the centre, the meeting has dispersed. It is still unclear whether
the men will receive any compensation for their loss. For now, they have Anamiewigummig to settle into at night.
“They're just like me and you,” said Horne. “We're all alike. Little do we know how much.”
