Sanctuary

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Canada
Toronto, ON
Sanctuary

Becoming a healthy, welcoming community where people who are poor & excluded are particularly valued.

05/29/2026

our summer bbq has finally arrived and for once, the weather decided to cooperate 😂

this year, we’re hosting a bbq every last thursday of the month all summer long.

we experience so much together as community. the grief. the joy. the heaviness of survival. the loneliness so many people carry. the anger toward systems that continue to fail people. the exhaustion that comes from just trying to make it through another day.

and yet, we still show up for each other.

because it matters.

at sanctuary, community has always been at the core of who we are and always will be. friendship is what holds us together. we check in on each other, share meals, laugh hard, carry hard days together, and try our best to love one another well.

because we are friends.
and that’s what friends are for. 💛

05/27/2026

We’re all guilty of forgetting our reusable grocery bags at home… so naturally we buy another one. And another one. And suddenly your cupboard opens like an avalanche of bags and you’ve got 50 of them staring back at you.

Instead of letting them reproduce in your kitchen cabinet, bring them to Sanctuary Toronto!

We have a clothes room where community members can grab clothing, hygiene items, and survival gear. Many folks are unhoused and need something to carry their belongings in, and reusable bags honestly make a huge difference, seriously.

So if your bag collection has officially gotten out of hand, we’ll happily take them off your hands 💛

05/27/2026

This article hits hard.

Women and gender-diverse people experiencing homelessness are dying from overdoses at disproportionately higher rates, while also having less access to safe shelters, harm reduction, and support.

A lot of people talk about homelessness like it’s one issue, but the reality is that women on the streets often face violence, exploitation, stigma, and isolation every single day.

We’re grateful to Simone Sutherland for sharing her story so openly. Stories like hers remind us that people are not disposable, and recovery and healing are possible when people are given safety, support, and community.

Housing saves lives. Harm reduction saves lives. Being treated like a human being saves lives.

05/27/2026

“As FIFA fever sweeps Toronto, unhoused residents and advocates say a much darker story is emerging impacting the city’s most vulnerable.

The Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU) alleges residents experiencing homelessness are reporting forced removals, intimidation, verbal abuse and violence linked to increased enforcement and public space management efforts. The group says concerns are growing that visibly poor and unhoused people are being pushed out ahead of FIFA-related activity in the city.

“Union Station isn’t a safe consumption site, but it is a safe place for us to be together, to look out for one another,” said Crystofur an unhoused Toronto resident…

The group points to what it calls an alarming increase in violence inside washrooms and enclosed spaces. Organizers shared photos from the men’s washroom at Union GO Station tied to one account alleging a man was dragged from a bathroom stall by security while his pants were still around his ankles and left outside.”

📸 Simon Beairsto

05/08/2026

sometimes healing is not about having all the answers.
sometimes it’s just about holding each other through uncertain times.

at Sanctuary, we witness reciprocity in such beautiful and human ways every day.
people showing up for each other with care, presence, food, laughter, honesty, and love.

reminding each other that none of us were meant to carry life alone.

04/29/2026

a table can hold more than a meal.

it can hold stories, differences, tension, and connection
it can reveal who is welcomed and who is still waiting

this reflection is about the kind of table we’re building
one shaped by community, challenged by the way Jesus welcomed others, and rooted in the belief that everyone belongs

not perfect. not polished. but real

and maybe that’s where transformation begins

who’s at your table?

04/24/2026

home was never just a place

it’s being seen
being safe
being held

some of us had that
some of us are still grieving it

and some people are building it
with nothing
but each other

this isn’t about houses

it’s about belonging

and how so many of us
are still trying to find our way home

04/23/2026

“want to get a slice of cake? it’s red velvet.”

al turns 59 today.
he brought his own birthday cake to share with his friends at sanctuary.

after, he suggested a wonton soup spot across the street. we sat down, talked for a bit. i asked him, “is red velvet your favorite cake?”

he said, “no… it was the cheapest one. i got it at loblaws for $9.50.”

and that just sat with me.

no big celebration. no candles. no party.
just a $9.50 cake… and still, he wanted to share it.

happy birthday, al.

even when you don’t have much, you still gave.
and that’s the kind of care that doesn’t get talked about enough.

(we couldn’t not get him his favourite cake 😃)

here at sanctuary, we celebrate each other, especially birthdays ❤️

04/21/2026

Next Wednesday! ☀️ come and join us for a bingo afternoon!
2-4PM! April 29, 2026 ⭐️

04/13/2026

She didn’t plan for her life to look like this. Nobody does.

A knee injury turned into painkillers. Painkillers turned into something stronger when the pain didn’t go away.
Somewhere along the way, life became about surviving instead of dreaming.

Aubree is 28. She has lost a home, a relationship, and years to addiction. She has slept in shelters, experienced violence, and now lives outside because it feels safer than the chaos inside.

But what stays is this:

She still wants to graduate
She still wants to try again
She still believes, even knowing the odds

“It’s really cold. I don’t like it.”

It is so simple but says everything.

Address

25 Charles Street E
Toronto, ON
M4Y1R9

Telephone

416-922-0628

Website

https://www.sanctuarytoronto.org/

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