What does it take to be a Vancouver catholic Worker?Show up and say you are one. Seriously. If you have the desire to perform the works of mercy, come and talk to us, or phone, or email. You don't have to be living in a house on East Pender Street. The whole idea of personalism is that we each take responsibility for doing whatever we can. It's not up to 'someone else' to look after the problems and needs of our neighbours, it's up to us. And if we all lived and believed that, to the best of our abilities, the world would be a radically different place. So join us for an event we're hosing, or some other time to chat or work in the garden or wander the neighbourhood with Sarah, Ronnie and Derv. There's no formal structure here (even Sarah's full time work schedule isn't always predictable!), no hierarchy, just community. |
| If we only see you once in a blue moon, you're still part of the community and in our prayers. Community is a word we use in the broadest sense possible. |
How it works at Samaritan House:We have room in the house for up to a maximum (generally) of 6 adults. 5 is the optimal level for the good mental health of everyone. Sarah and Vikki live there permanently, the rest of the beds are taken up by long term 'guests' who really are community members working on their direction in life, and short term guests who sometimes become long term guests, and sometimes not. Plus Ronnie (the dog) and Derv (the cat). The only rules are no alcohol, no drugs, and respectful behaviour toward your housemates.We own the house; pay the mortgage and all other associated bills, taxes, utilities etc. It's a really old, small house. It's in reasonable shape but definitely in need of improvements/upgrading. We deal with urgent needs as they come up, but would love to do some non-emergency improving as well. Almost 100% of our money comes from our personal incomes, but it's not enough to do much more than some basic maintenance on the house. |
| Our financial need is not huge, since we do everything on a small scale. The bills that we need help with monthly are phone, hydro, gas, guest expenses, upkeep of the house and supplies. We take care of the mortgage, taxes, insurance, truck, some groceries, and our personal needs. |
WE ARE NOT TAX EXEMPTThe Vancouver Catholic Worker and Samaritan House are not registeredcharities and we are not able to issue tax receipts. We will not apply for charitable status because we believe that justice and the works of mercy should be acts of conscience which are done at a personal sacrifice, without government approval, regulation or reward. |
Why do we take Canadian Tire money?Because it's kind of like our 'corner store'. It's 2 blocks away and we always need little (and not so little) things for repairing or maintaining the house and the garden. And most people never use their Canadian Tire money - why not give to us?! |
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