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We have a solution. We need your help.

While winter always sees more homeless people at the Old Brewery Mission, something has changed. It is a change involving far greater numbers and a much younger age. The average is 37, compared to 57 just two decades ago. It is a situation that prompts a dramatic shift in the role the Mission must play... and in the support we must request from the community.

Yes, we continue to offer humanitarian services - safe refuge, nourishing meals, warm showers - as we have done free of charge for the past 117 years. But physical wellbeing is no longer enough. Today, the Mission must provide "social emergency" services on an individual basis.

Most roads to homelessness end in tragedy without effective intervention. That is why we work very hard to give our clients the power, hope and support they need to bridge the gap between homelessness and a permanent address. Through transitional programs and residential centres, we have a solution that works.

In 2005, 103 men and women made the transition from homelessness by leaving our shelters and taking their lives in hand. In 2006, that number rose to 133, and from the beginning of April to the end of September this year, the count already stands at 192. These truly are spectacular results. As we refine our methods and more clients participate, numbers will continue to grow. As James Hughes, our Director General, puts it: "We are becoming increasingly adept at helping our clients on a one-way journey out of homelessness". But...