World Homeless Day – Oakville Lighthouse Shelter

Kirth Murphy might not be living at The Salvation Army’s Oakville Lighthouse Shelter now, but the support remains whenever he needs a helping hand.

The emergency shelter offers counselling programs, community resources to help individuals find stable, assisted or affordable housing options, and mental health supports.

“I was homeless, and I am no longer homeless. I am working on getting back into the administration support industry,” Kirth says. “When I got here, I felt the stigma. It was something that I had heard about, but I have now experienced it.”

Growing up in the Caribbean, Kirth says his Christian upbringing guided him for a long time as a younger man, but eventually he drifted away from the church.

“As I got into this crisis, I met Nellie and she reconnected me and rekindled my faith,” he says. “What they have done is found me a place to live. I am invited here for meals whenever I feel I need someone else to cook for me. I am still part of the shelter and I feel like I still have those supports and I am not letting them go.”

Nellie Noack is the Salvation Army Chaplin at Lighthouse Shelter.

“They come with different reasons why they are here. At intake we identify what other supports they need from the community, so we work to connect them to those programs and it provides more support for them,” Nellie says.

Clients have regular check-ins to ensure they are still accessing community supports as they work toward meeting identified life goals with the objective of living independently and confidently.

The Salvation Army and Lighthouse is ‘More Than a Shelter.’