The reason for which I am in this ministry
to help the homeless has rung truer than ever recently… a deep compassion for
human dignity. I recently got involved with advocating for the health and
welfare of one of the clients that we serve at The Open Door. I will call him Dan to protect his identity.
Dan is an older gentleman in his late 60s who
has progressively become frailer as a result of a lot of time spent outside.
This past winter was very cold and it was especially hard on him. We had not
seen him in months, but we knew that he was sleeping in the Metro stations
(Montreal’s subway system), that the food service workers at the nearby Alexis
Nihon Mall were feeding him donations, and that the Mall Security personnel
were protecting him.
Just recently, Montreal police officers
escorted Dan to see us after members of the local public had expressed a
concern for his welfare. The police officers asked us to give him a shower, new
clothes and food. We were able to provide him with clean clothes and food, but
we unfortunately do not have showers for our clients. The next day, we were made
aware that he was back in the Metro station but very weak and frail. With the
help of an Outreach Worker, I helped Dan walk back to The Open Door so that we
could help him.
Soon after we got Dan back to the drop-in
centre that day, he asked to be taken to the hospital. Yet he was also very
afraid because he had had a bad experience with being released from the same
hospital after only a day of being treated. So, I called for an ambulance to
take him to the hospital and told him that I would go with him so that he would
not have to go alone.
I made sure that Dan was settled in the ER
of the hospital and told him that I would return later in the day to check up
on him. I did return 8 hours later and, to my great surprise, found him in the
exact same state that I had left him that afternoon! None of the ER staff had checked
on him or even wanted to help him. How is it conceivable that just because
someone is homeless means that they will receive the least amount of treatment
humanly possible? It was at that point that I, heartbroken for this man and
frustrated with the hospital staff, realized that I needed to advocate on his behalf
for proper care.
The first thing I did was pray for and
comfort Dan. Then I tried to find a nurse who would provide care to him.
Unsuccessful, I used my previous experience as a CNA (Certified Nursing
Assistant) and took it upon myself to clean him up. I found the linen closet, a
gown, gloves and some wipes and did the best job that I could. Then I went to
find the Physician in charge and advocate for better care for him. I can see
why Dan was afraid to go back to the hospital after I saw the way they treated
him!
I decided to stay with him during the
night so that I could make sure that the ER doctors and nurses were providing
him with continuous care. Fortunately, I started to see a change of perspective
about Dan amongst the staff. He is very weak and appears to be at the end of
his rope in life… and thankfully the staff at the hospital are seeing his
humanity, not just that he is homeless, and are showing him compassion in
providing his care.
This experience has been a shocking and
eye-opening view of how our society treats the homeless. Yet Jesus has a very
different perspective of those who are in need… “For I was hungry and you gave
me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick
and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew
25:35-36. Please continue to pray for me as I serve and help those who are
homeless in Montreal, and please pray for Dan.
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