to bring together street workers from across Canada, who were struggling with the stress, burn-out and isolation of working in street ministries. With seed funding from World Vision Canada, a group of individuals representing organizations working at street level came together and developed a vision for Street Level, with a mandate to

“affirm the dignity and significance of those serving God among His people on the streets of Canada. The conference will bring together street workers for theological reflection, resources sharing, and mutual encouragement”.

With Rick Tobias, Executive Director of Yonge Street Mission as Chair, the first Street Level conference took place in Toronto, Ontario, in April 1994, with the theme, ‘You Are Not Alone’. Representatives from other organizations including Youth For Christ, Operation Mobilization, Christian Direction Inc., Ontario Theological Seminary, the Institute of Family Living and the Mustard Seed Street Ministry were founding members of the national Street Level committee. This first conference drew 250 delegates from over 22 denominations together, and was noted by ‘Christian Week’, a bi-weekly Christian national newspaper, as one of the most significant national Christian events in 1994. It featured many well-known speakers on street ministry and poverty issues, as well as Fr. Henri Nouwen, as the conference devotional speaker.

a second conference was held in Calgary, Alberta, with Pat Nixon, Executive Director of the Mustard Seed Street Ministry as Chair. After reviewing feedback from earlier conference delegates, this conference took as its theme, ‘Reclaiming the Future’, speaking to the importance of giving hope and future to those who call the streets of Canada their home. Once again, speakers from across Canada addressed important issues on poverty, homelessness and justice, and Sr. Sue Mosteller as the conference devotional speaker.

These first two conferences were highly successful, meaningful times. Each achieved their goal of nurturing and caring for the spiritual and emotional needs of front-line staff and volunteers, and had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of those who were present.

Committee members continued to be active over the years, hosting smaller regional events, including several in Toronto (Street Level Toronto), under the leadership of Tim Huff, Director of Homelessness Initiatives & Light Patrol, Youth Unlimited/Toronto Youth For Christ.

Street Level was given new life in June 2003, when the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) launched its Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness. This Roundtable brought together a number of leaders of ministries that work among homeless youth and adults from across Canada; some seasoned, some relatively new to the scene. Around the table were also a handful of the original founding members of the national Street Level committee. As the vision and mandate of the Roundtable began to unfold, the idea was brought forward that the Street level conferences be revived. The value of the national Street Level conferences was clear, and the hope was that the structure of the Roundtable and the backing of the EFC would provide the momentum and strong platform for Street Level to once again be national in scope.

Out of the larger Roundtable, working groups were formed – one with the task of developing resources, one with developing a cohesive strategy for coordinated advocacy, and one with planning the next national Street Level conference, under the chairmanship of Tim Huff.

The exciting process of dreaming and brainstorming began. Many months were spent researching venues, discussing themes and confirming details for this significant upcoming conference. Given the significance of this conference in reestablishing Street level as a national event, it was decided that the conference would be held in the nation’s capital, in the early spring of 2006.

From March 29 to April 1, 2006 nearly 350 individuals, representing some 70 organizations from across Canada who are passionately engaged in finding solutions to poverty and homelessness, gathered at the Westin Hotel in downtown Ottawa to participate in Street Level 2006.

Those who gathered came from ministries and agencies large and small, and from small towns and large cities from across the country. Front line workers, agency leaders, board members and church representatives, who daily serve God’s people on our streets gathered for a time of resourcing, networking, challenge and inspiration. The gathering also included those who serve in public life, and many who serve hidden away in the dark and lonely places on the streets of our nation. Some who came were seasoned in street ministry and some came seeking to learn how best to come alongside, befriend and minister among the homeless and street-involved members of their communities.

Chaired by Tim Huff, Director of Light Patrol and Homelessness Initiatives" for Youth Unlimited, this third Street Level gathering was distinct in scope, focus and determination. As with the first two conferences, delegates came to network with their peers, to learn from one another and from the foremost practitioners in the field, to resource and be resourced. But Street Level 2006 would not mark the end of two and half years of hard work – rather it would mark a beginning.

The mandate of the National Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness is “United Voice, Dynamic Response”, which was echoed clearly in the theme of the 2006 conference – “Truthtellers and Peacemakers, ” which provided the foundation for all that was said and done throughout the conference – each plenary session and each workshop.

By being Truthtellers, we mean that it is critical that we
• Understand the issues in all their complexity
• Bring clarity to those issues in communicating them to others
• Speak with boldness the truth about poverty, homelessness, and our responsibility to act justly in these matters.

By being Peacemakers, we mean that it is critical that we
• Affirm the dignity of all the participants in such conversations and activities
• Speak and act with humility as we advocate for the powerless in the corridors of power
• Behave generously as we seek to build bridges between people or groups with opposing views.

This time, conference organizers and delegates stood together to say to God, to those we work among, to government and to each other that we were rededicating our efforts to ensure that the status quo regarding homelessness in Canada can no longer be such, that “business as usual” is going to go out of business. In his words of welcome, David Adcock, Chair of the Roundtable, called those gathered to be of one mind in saying that “we as followers of Christ commit ourselves to learn, advocate for and with our friends who are homeless to ensure that all have a place, all have standing, and all have a voice.”

The opening day of the conference, several members of the Roundtable, including Tim Huff, Greg Paul, Chair of the Advocacy working group of the Roundtable, and Executive Director of Sanctuary, and Bruce Clemenger, President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, held a press conference on Parliament Hill to present the “Ottawa Manifesto”, a statement developed by the Roundtable. This statement is a call and commitment to a shared vision of Canada in which no person is denied the reality of “home.”

The Manifesto was formally presented at the opening banquet of the conference – a unique and highly significant evening. Nineteen Members of Parliament accepted the invitation to attend the opening night, and official greetings were given by representatives from all four federal parties. The evening highlighted a national issue that has reached crisis proportions, and offered guests an introduction to the important work already being done by church and ministry organizations in this area. This night served as a launch pad for a constructive, ongoing dialogue between “street level’ ministries and government in seeking solutions to this issue.

The Manifesto, endorsed by conference delegates, was printed in the Ottawa Citizen on Monday, April 3 – the day the 39th Parliament convened in Ottawa. It was subsequently made available online at www.streetlevel.ca/manifesto, and a steady stream of individuals from across the country have been adding their voices to those of the Roundtable and delegates of Street Level 2006, in calling the nation to place a high priority on addressing issues of poverty and homelessness.

Rick Tobias, President and CEO of Yonge Street Mission in Toronto, one of Canada’s oldest and largest missions, gave the opening plenary address entitled: Worthy of Respect: the mark of great nations and their leaders. Rick’s challenge – that we are called to be bold in our truthtelling, and not to be passive in our peacemaking – set the tone for the conference.

Two time Juno award winning singer/songwriter Steve Bell led in times of inspiration and celebration throughout the length of the conference, and with giftedness and sensitivity wove together the themes of the plenary sessions and speakers through story and song.

We were privileged to have Sister Sue Mosteller, International Coordinator of L’Arche, with us to give gentle, powerful leadership to our morning devotional times on the theme of Intimacy with Jesus. Participating alongside Sister Sue was Bill Van Buren, a member of the L’Arche Daybreak community, who shared his story with humour, courage and authenticity.

There were 23 workshops on a range of street-relevant and leadership issues, available for delegates to choose from. Experts and seasoned frontline workers led workshops covering everything from public policy, to vision casting and accountability, to hard-core street issues.

We believe Street Level 2006 created a national turning point – leading us to understand and act in new ways in changing the course Canada takes regarding homelessness, while modeling a dynamic response to an issue that is similarly critical for other nations.

The week following the conference was filled with queries from media, from interested individuals and from other faith-based groups actively involved in addressing issues of poverty and homelessness here in Canada. The momentum is growing and the potential is immeasurable. Street Level 2006 secured the foundations of an ongoing coalition of like-minded ministries and agencies from across Canada committed to working together to raise the level of life, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, for those in our communities who are poor or homeless.

The response to Street Level 2006 has been overwhelming. From government, to delegates, media, from those who did not attend but have since heard about it, it is clear that this forum can and will play a significant role in mobilizing and uniting Canadians to be ‘truthtellers and peacemakers’ around issues of domestic poverty.

During one of the final sessions, a front line worker who had been in attendance at Street Level 2006 handed a note to the conference Chair, which read:

“We are not going home from this conference the way we came. We have been uplifted, we have been changed.”

Building on the success of the 2006 conference, we anticipate even greater things at Street Level 2009: A Legacy of Justice