Ephesians 2:10 ...join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (The Message)

 Mission Update:  October, 2005 - Andy Coats

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest". Isaiah 32:17-18 NIV

From the Toronto Sun, Letters to the Editor,  Mon, Jan. 24, 2005. LETTER OF THE DAY THE LETTERS on homelessness (Jan. 21) raise valid concerns. But they ignore the real improvements that have taken place over the last 10 yrs, back when the homeless were actually dying on the street for lack of shelter. It is correct to deliver food and sleeping bags because it is a reasonable humanitarian response to those in need. And it doesn't cost taxpayers a penny. The food and clothing I personally deliver is all donated. No tax dollars spent, none wasted. City Hall is not being manipulated by special interest groups, rather the public is manipulated by the media who report only the sensational. They all claim that the homeless policies don't represent the voice of the public, but what then of all the volunteers and corporate donors who support programs like Out of the Cold? Volunteers by far outnumber city staff.They are citizens with a right to be heard too. And the large amount of money donated to help the homeless shows that they are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Andy Coats (Sun Ed. note - We're willing to bet that none of those donors want people to stay on the street -- yet that's the common result) (Andy's note - of course donors don't want people on the street, but they're human enough to let outreach workers show compassion and work at the street person's pace instead of jailing the homeless as vagrants.)