Street Level Conference 2006 - Ottawa

"Where there is no vision the people perish."

It was a great experience for me to travel to Ottawa and have the opportunity to meet so many people with "vision" at the Street Level Conference, for without their visions in action, the poor, the marginalized, and the homeless would surely perish on the streets of our nation. For myself, the conference was not about numbers and statistics but rather about people, their personal stories and experiences. Everyone who works at street level has a story to tell and there is no greater advocacy for those who live on our streets than to tell their stories, to give names to the faces rather than have them seen as just another statistic.

The theme of the conference was "Truthtellers and Peacemakers" which was a call, an invitation, a vision for who and how we want to be as we address the overwhelming issues, symptoms and root causes of homelessness, in small towns and cities across Canada.

This was a time of listening, reflecting, learning and growing which will hopefully lead to investing in and encouraging those with whom I work with and have built relationships with at "street level."

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Your children will rebuild the deserted walls of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.

Isaiah 58:10-12