Stories

The Definition of Love

August 26, 2021
When Goodwill Rescue Mission (now Mission Services of London) opened in 1951, the founding Executive Director, Alvin Roth, lived with his family in the same house that operated an emergency shelter for men. A strange living situation for some, but the Roth children did not mind the arrangement. In fact, they found it to be

The Roger Smith Wing

July 20, 2021
Many of you will know that the Men’s Mission provides 111 emergency shelter beds. What is less well known is the temporary residence we provide, known as the Roger Smith Wing (RSW). The RSW is a separate, self-contained area of Men’s Mission offering 35 temporary, rent-geared-to-income individual rooms. Roger Smith was the third Executive Director

Meeting Need at the Point of Need

July 20, 2021
Alvin and Madeline Roth’s five children speak about their parents’ leap of faith to help build an organization that has helped numerous neighbours in need since 1951: “Their faith drove them and their faith was based on love,” said Brian, one of Alvin and Madeline Roth’s five children. When his parents were chosen by their

Advice for New and Young Social Workers: Q&A with Gordon Russell, Director of Shelters

July 15, 2021
Seeking wisdom to help guide her career ahead, Lisa (pictured left), a new social worker at Men’s Mission, asked several thoughtful questions of her supervisor, Gordon Russell. Gordon recently retired after a meaningful career of 30 years as the Director of Shelters. His responses are described below. What education or training helped you prepare for

Celebrating 70 Years of Service and Impact

May 4, 2021
Mission Services of London is proud to be celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2021! What began by Alvin and Madeline Roth in 1951 as a nine-bedroom house to provide food, shelter, and clothing to men in need has grown into an organization of five branches dedicated to helping thousands of neighbours each year who struggle

“Rotholme was my Railings”

April 29, 2021
When Sammeca feared that she and her young children would soon be facing homelessness, she turned to Rotholme Family Shelter. “I met with them and it was perfect; they were nice people,” she said. “I ended up moving into shelter and luckily I did because my social worker ended up having a hands-on approach about

Providing an Innovative Approach to Care at CMHP

April 22, 2021
Can you imagine experiencing homelessness while suffering from a life-threatening illness like cancer? It seems unimaginable, but this was the reality for a London man who we came to know through Streetscape, an outreach program of Community Mental Health Programs (CMHP). As an initial step, the Streetscape team helped him access shelter at Men’s Mission.

70 Years of Serving, Adapting, and Growing in London

April 22, 2021
2021 marks Mission Services of London’s (MSL) 70th year of serving our neighbours. As I reflect on our innovation in service delivery, and the tens of thousands of neighbours for whom we have provided tangible assistance, I cannot help but be struck with profound sadness. Sadness that our response to poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and