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   The Redemption Cafe

Help and Hope When
I Needed It Most

“I was  living in a situation that was not good for my sobriety. It was a living hell. I had very low self-esteem and was lost in a world where I didn’t know who to turn to. I am a forty- year-old alcoholic who came to The Salvation Army Emergency Shelter looking for a safe place to live. I found people who cared enough to help me. A friend suggested that I volunteer my free time at their Care and Share Centre. Since I have been here, I have found that there are many helping people that I didn’t know were out there, who are involved with The Salvation Army. People here are friendly and willing to lend a hand. One of the staff helped me find a quiet, comfortable place to live. I would recommend The Salvation Army to anyone in need.”

They Never Stopped Believing in Me

“I lived on the streets for years, and my daily drug habit consumed my life. Then I found The Salvation Army – or I should say they found me. People at The Salvation Army took the time to help me clean up. It wasn’t easy. And it wasn’t fast. But they never stopped believing in me. They said I could make it
– and I did!

Now I’m off the street and back in school. All along, I thought I was desperate for more drugs, but
what I really needed was for
someone to care.”  

Redemption Café is a social hub connecting of a wide variety of programs offered at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope. Salvation Army volunteers make sure the coffee is always on and a listening ear is always available. Open from 9:00. to 11:45 a.m., Monday to Friday, the Café provides a light breakfast, coffee, tea, and sweets, free of charge, in a safe, clean environment. First-time clients have a brief appointment with a staff member and fill out a simple application form. The only requirement is that they become involved in some other program at the Centre of Hope. To the clients involved in these programs and groups, the Café is a place to relax and spend time with friends before and between activities. For members who live outdoors or in substandard accommodations, the Café also provides facilities for laundry and shower facilities.

Varied programs are offered through Redemption Café:

Planned Activities
The Activity Coordinator works with café clients Monday to Friday from 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Foot care, haircuts, social outings, arts and crafts, games, baking are all part of the programming.

Extended Hope Housing
Clients searching for housing get one-to-one assistance. Clients register for this program by attending an orientation session held each Wednesday morning in a room off the main Café.

Practicum and Work Experience
College and university students enrolled in studies such as Nursing, Social Work and Counselling improve their skills and help clients in a safe setting.

Parish Nursing
On duty five days a week, our parish nurse and skilled volunteers provide personal and health care services free of charge to those with few options. Care and first aid for battered feet, blood pressure clinics, diabetes and STD information and testing, vaccinations and flu clinics are all offered.

Healing  Garden
Volunteers and clients have created a peaceful, enclosed garden that provides a place of beauty to enjoy, herbs for the kitchen, and raised beds for growing salad vegetables.