The Shepherds of Good Hope are putting a face to the crisis of homelessness in Ottawa or rather, six faces.
The shelter launched its Faces of Hope campaign Saturday, highlighting the personal stories of six people supported by the Ottawa-based charity.
“The Faces of Hope campaign is all about raising awareness,” said Stephen Bartolo, CEO of the Shepherds of Good Hope.
“It’s having people slow down and actually look at what we’re doing, and then ask those questions and just say, what is happening at Shepherds of Good Hope?”
The digital billboard campaign highlights the faces of six individuals, two of which are employees at Shepherds and four of whom are family members of those receiving services.
“There’s so many people in our city that are experiencing homelessness,” said Bartolo. “The numbers are actually going in the wrong direction.”
The billboards can be found at all LRT stations and on digital signs across the city.
Jodi McCullough’s face can be found in more than one location at the Rideau LRT station.
“My twin sister, Jordan Leigh, she passed away on March 15, 2023, and she was a resident at the Shepherds of Good Hope,” she told CTV News.
“She struggled with mental health and substance use. She was also the best person I knew. My safe place, my everything. When I picked up my sister at the Shepherds, she told me that the people that she encountered were some of the nicest people ever.”
McCullough lost her sister to fentanyl poisoning. Before that, McCullough was proud that her sister had become a flight attendant at just 17-years-old.
“We don’t know what anybody is going through, and being part of this campaign, we all have a story.”
Krystal Atkison is another face of hope that can be seen on the billboard. She says the Shepherds became a sanctuary for her mother when there was nowhere else to go.
“Her alcoholism, I had no choice but to drop her off at a shelter because it was impacting my family,” said Atkinson.
She says the shelter’s addictions treatment programs gave her family hope.
“The Shepherds of Good Hope made hope for my mom and my family knowing that she’s safe and that there are people out there.”
The stories of each person can be read in detail on the billboards, which Bartolo says serves as a metaphor for those who stop to consider those in vulnerable situations.
“It’s going to be up for the next month,” he said. “When you’re going to go see it, you’re going to see all the stories of the Faces of Hope.”
