In 2005, my family bought a sukkah to “dwell in” as commanded in the Torah, during the Festival of Booths. We set it up at the flat-and-level top part of our sloped driveway. Lo! and behold, a strong gust of wind came through at night, and we found our sukkah in the street at the bottom of the driveway the next morning.

​In the spirit of the Jewish Festival of Sukkot, we find profound resonance with the mission of the Multifaith Housing Initiative. Sukkot commemorates the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, emphasizing the fragility and impermanence and precariousness of the sukkah, a temporary dwelling. This symbolism mirrors the experiences of those struggling with housing instability and underscores the urgency to provide stable housing for everyone. MHI embraces the ethos of Sukkot by advocating for innovative housing solutions within inclusive communities to reduce and eliminate homelessness and housing insecurity. It is a beacon of hope, showing us that with collective effort, we can build stronger, more resilient communities.

We must develop a greater understanding of the challenges faced by those in precarious housing situations. This starts with open conversations, workshops, and educational events that shed light on the multifaceted issues surrounding housing insecurity. By fostering empathy and awareness, we lay the foundation for meaningful change. We must then contribute by supporting and donating to MHI, volunteering time and skills, and advocating through our elected officials for policy changes that prioritize inclusive housing solutions.
In the spirit of Sukkot, let us come together to fortify the foundations – figuratively and literally – of our communities, creating a world where everyone has a safe and stable place to call home. Together, we can turn temporary shelters into permanent havens, and fragility into strength.

Chag Sukkot Sameiach to all who celebrate, and peace and blessings to all.
Cantor Jason Green, Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation

Dianne Cardin has been involved with MHI from the beginning in 2002 – at that time she was Minister at Barrhaven United Church, which was one of the first church members of MHI. She retired from full time ministry in 2009 and now serves as a short-term supply minister. 

Dianne’s very active involvement with MHI began with The Haven.  She engaged the Ottawa Presbytery of the United Church in fundraising $100,000 to aid in building The Haven. This involved encouraging United churches in the Ottawa area to make donations to MHI and the goal of $100,000 was exceeded largely due to Dianne’s efforts. 

After The Haven welcomed its first tenants, Dianne continued to donate her time and energy to MHI by championing many of The Haven programs which continue today. These include assisting with the community BBQ, The Haven’s Free Shopping Days, and supporting the variety of religious celebrations - in particular the Christmas celebration at The Haven. Through her community connections, Dianne found a business to donate toys each year to residents of both The Haven and Blake House at Christmas. As well, due to her efforts and leadership, churches in Barrhaven and surrounding areas collectively bake cookies for distribution to each household at The Haven for Christmas.  

Dianne actively fundraised for Veterans’ House Canada: the Andy Carswell Building.  As a representative on the Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council of the United Church of Canada, she initiated the United Church Region Quilts for Veterans’ House project. She also gave leadership to the United We Stand worship service, encouraging congregations in the area to contribute to the $150,000 “United We Stand” fundraising campaign. This goal was also exceeded.

In 2020, Dianne joined the Membership and Outreach Committee and has provided excellent advice and insight regarding MOC’s activities.  Also, in 2020, the MHI Board was pleased to appoint Dianne as Religious Patron. 
​
Dianne has been a long-time supporter, volunteer, and donor and we recognize her legacy to MHI and generosity of spirit through the Gay Richardson Volunteer of the Year Award for 2022. 

Muslims around the world eagerly await Ramadan every year.  We see it as time of deep reflection, tranquility and an opportunity to seek forgiveness and pleasure from Allah (God).

During the month, while fasting we are keenly aware that our actions must be a reflection of our physical state, one of restraint and patience.    This means being extremely cautious with our words and actions.  During the fast, we should refrain from lying, backbiting, cheating, and all generally hurtful behaviours.  Charity, in the form of alms-giving and helping those in need is also highly encouraged.  These are behaviours that Muslims are to embody all year round, but while in a state of fasting, the mind and soul are keenly aware of this.

The breaking of fast which occurs at sunset is a very special time.  Families or communities gather and break fast with dates and water, traditionally.  The breaking of fast is followed by a prayer and then a full meal is served.  Ramadan is a time filled with family and community coming together, where we are all trying our best to help and support each other through all aspects of the fast. Later In the evening, after we break fast, many of us observe special congregational nightly prayers at the mosque, or at home with our families.

Ramadan is really a time of moral “re-set” – it is a time to re-focus on the basic principles our faith teaches us: honesty, kindness, generosity, patience, and cooperation, a time to be the “best version” of ourselves.  It is a time to get back to basics, to the central Islamic belief that this life on earth is fleeting and our goal is to attain eternal life in heaven.  That ultimate goal can only be achieved through our good intentions and actions. 

Easter Sunday marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christians, Easter is the joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence. May your journey through this Easter season be filled with love, hope and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessings to you and yours!
​
Happy Easter! Hallelujah!!

Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian year, is a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.   What humans have used for evil, God has used for good. ‘Hallelujah’, Praise God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, Creator, Christ and Spirit.

The return of Christians to their churches on Easter Sunday is a joyous and happy one – after the sadness of the Good Friday service. We are a forgiven people! Praise be to God. Christians believe that a contrite heart and a willingness to say, “I’m sorry.”, wipes the slate clean. We can start afresh to meet the expectations of our God.
​
The sense of rebirth is strong at the timing of the Easter Sunday. Baby chicks – fluffy bunnies – boughs of flowering forsythia – lilies and tulips - all speak to the mystery of life eternal. After months of snow, ice, storms and deep cold, we, in Ottawa, see the earth renewing itself. Life in abundance – we are not alone – thanks be to God.

Christianity encourages us to imagine a fresh opportunity for us to respond to Christ’s commandment: John 13:34, “…to love one another…as I have loved you.”

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is a major, widely observed holiday and an important celebration of  Jewish life and history.
 
Passover celebrates the biblical account of the Israelites’ flight from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. Holiday rituals include a dramatic retelling of the Exodus story and many unique food traditions, including the prohibition of eating bread, grains and any food with leavening, in memory of the matzah or unleavened bread eaten by the Israelites in their haste to flee Egypt.
 
Jews come together with friends and family at home or in a communal setting to celebrate the great lessons of the story: the blessing of freedom and the reminder that since we were once slaves and were freed, it is our responsibility to work for freedom for all people, everywhere. Many families have long-standing, beloved traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation but new traditions are also welcome.
 
The Seder is the centrepiece of any Passover experience. The word Seder literally means “order”. It is laid out in a special prayer book called the Haggadah and consists of 15 specific steps, including a festive meal, recounting the story of the Jews' redemption from slavery in Egypt, asking questions, eating special foods, drinking 4 cups of wine, singing, and other Passover traditions. Many families include prayers and references to contemporary issues that invite reflection, especially about groups and individuals who are still enslaved in some way.  
 
The Seder Plate contains symbolic foods referenced in the Seder. Its contents vary but most contain:

• Shankbone, symbolizing the lamb that was sacrificed in ancient days
• Roasted egg, representing the wholeness and continuing cycle of life
• Bitter herbs, a reminder of the bitter lives of the Hebrew slaves
• Charoset, the mixture of apples, nuts, sweet wine, cinnamon and sugar, or dates, nuts and sweet wine, reminding us of the bricks and mortar made by the Hebrew slaves
• Greens, karpas, symbolizing spring, the time of year when Passover takes place

 
Other ritually significant items placed on the holiday table are:

• Three matzot (plural of matzah), on a plate with a cloth or napkin cover
• Salt water, a reminder of the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves
• Cup of Elijah, symbolizing the hope for a redemptive future

 
Along with these traditional symbols, families may include a Cup of Miriam, a special goblet filled with water, to honour Miriam, the sister of Moses, who played a vital role in the Exodus. Also popular with some families and congregations is an orange as a symbol of inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and others who have felt marginalized in Jewish life
 
The afikoman is half of the middle matzah that is broken in the fourth step of the seder. It is customary to hide the afikoman, and the person (often a child) who finds it gets a prize.
 
Passover - also known as the Festival of Spring - takes place on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, the first month of spring in the Hebrew (lunar) calendar. The traditional greeting Jews use during the 8-day holiday is "Chag Sameach", Hebrew for "Happy Holiday". The word “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word pasach, which means "passed over,” referring to the 10th plague that killed the Egyptian firstborn, but miraculously “passed over” the houses of the Israelites.
 
“I love Passover because for me it is a cry against indifference, a cry for compassion."
ELIE WIESEL
​

When we envisioned building Veterans' House: the Andy Carswell Building we always saw it as the first of many to be built across Canada to help veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

With the support of our stakeholders, donors like you, and all levels of government, Multifaith Housing Initiative was able to secure financing and funding to build a supportive housing site on the former CFB Rockcliffe Airbase for Canadian veterans. Veterans’ House: The Andy Carswell Building successfully ​opened during the difficult times of a global pandemic. But that did not deter MHI’s supporters, volunteers, fundraisers, and staff from welcoming residents on February 1st, 2021.

What started as a pilot project addressing the gap in affordable and supportive housing for veterans, turned into a successful new charity: Veterans’ House Canada. With our shared vision and your generous support, Veterans’ House Canada transformed into its own charity, separate from Multifaith Housing Initiative, with a charitable status, charity number, and the ability to provide tax receipts.

Veterans’ House Canada has effectively reduced the number of homeless veterans in Ottawa as reflected in the 2022 Point in Time count. This would not have been possible without donations, and the unwavering perseverance from the MHI community. Unfortunately, the need for veteran’s affordable permanent, and supportive housing is growing all over Canada. Veterans need a safe place to call home.

The newly formed charity is taking the successful housing model across Canada. Veterans’ House Canada is committed to building more affordable and supportive sites like Veterans’ House Canada: The Andy Carswell Building. Cities under consideration include Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Halifax and Winnipeg. Be sure to follow Veteran’s House Canada (@VetsHouseCan) on their socials to stay up to date with their progress. You can also visit their new website at www.veteranshousecanada.ca

Thank you to Multifaith Housing Initiative supporters, donors, volunteers, staff, and everyone who collectively took Veterans’ House Canada from a successful project to the tale of two charities. 
​
What force so mighty as those who are united under one cause. 

Thank you to our wonderful community for their donations to make Christmas possible at Blake House! 

As many of you may have heard, our Adrian Benjamin, Multifaith Housing Initiative’s  Community Engagement Manger, was left in shock when he opened the back of his vehicle to discover all the Blake House tenants’ donated Christmas gifts had been stolen while parked overnight at his home in Barrhaven. 

The would-be criminal made off with toys donated by The Ottawa Police Service and Toy Mountain (value unknown), gift cards to local grocery stores generously donated by MacKay United Church (valued at $600.00).

We are thrilled to announce that through assistance from the community, we replaced all of the Christmas gifts for the children and were able to increase the value of the gift cards for each household. 

Santa's sleigh was once again flying as we hand-delivered the gifts on Friday January 6th 2023. We cannot thank the community enough for their generous donations that made this Grinch story a happy ending. 

Here are a few photos we snapped in the process. 

This #ThankYouThursday, we’d like to show our appreciation to the Canadian Forces Support Group Ottawa-Gatineau - PSP Military Housing, for donating a (literal!) truckload of household goods to MHI tenants! Volunteer residents at The Haven and Veterans’ House: the Andy Carswell Building helped move 80+ appliances, pieces of furniture, home technology and other items, which were passed on to the folks who live with us. Thanks to everyone who made this happen! 

We are reaching out to you all regarding the ongoing protest-turned-occupation in downtown Ottawa.

As many of you are aware, MHI operates five rental housing sites – one residence for formerly homeless veterans (Veterans’ House: the Andy Carswell Building), plus four communities for low-income families/individuals.

Our two smallest communities are located downtown within the area impacted by demonstration-related activities. However, our communities happen to be outside the radius of where the protests are intensely concentrated at the present time. MHI volunteers have reached out to our residents living at the two properties in question. The volunteers continue to be available to connect tenants to support services in the community as required, or lend a listening ear to residents who’d simply like someone to talk to. MHI’s housing department is available to support tenants over the phone as well.

Our heart goes out to everyone negatively impacted by the demonstrations. While we support Canadians’ right to demonstrate, we condemn all hateful, unlawful, and/or disrespectful activity that has taken place during the protests. MHI is a charity that works to end homelessness, including veterans’ homelessness. We are also an organization whose voting members are a coalition of 70+ Ottawa-area faith groups, including Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Unitarian congregations. As such, our organization specifically condemns the desecration of the National War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the harassment of our sector partners the Shepherds of Good Hope, and the flying of Confederate flags and swastikas downtown. We also categorically condemn the white supremacist and Islamophobic comments made in the past by some members of the convoy leadership. The failure of convoy leaders to explicitly denounce and expel bigots from their own inner circle does little to inspire confidence that the ongoing occupation is exclusively about vaccine mandates.

To our supporters, especially those targeted by this harmful rhetoric: We are here for you, and we care.

We will keep you all updated on the situation from our vantage point as it unfolds.

Suzanne Le
MHI Executive Director

Friends, never doubt dreams can come true. MHI is so excited to announce our latest affordable housing project, in partnership with socially and environmentally focused developer Dream. Our proposal has been selected by the National Capital Commission as part of the development of Lebreton Flats Library Parcel! This project will build 601 new residential rental units, of which 31% will be accessible and 41% will be affordable housing (117 of the affordable units will be owned by Dream and 130 will be owned by MHI). Learn more at the NCC website below!