Join us for our monthly GAP Committee meetings the first Monday of the month. Please email gapcommittee@cdcd.org for more information.
Please join us at St. Paul – St. Andrew United Church on Friday, December 19th, 2025, 3:30pm and at St. Francis Church on Monday, December 22nd, 2025, at 6:30 for our “Night Before Tomorrow” Play. A powerful Christmas-season performance that shares the lived experience of homelessness through reflection, truth, and hope.
The Night Before Tomorrow is a heartfelt storytelling event that shares the inner world of a man experiencing homelessness on the night before Christmas. Through reflective narration and emotional scenes, the performance invites the audience to understand the challenges, memories, and hopes carried through the cold winter nights.
This piece is designed to build empathy, spark conversation, and remind our community of the importance of compassion, dignity, and support for those living without stable housing—especially during the holiday season.
Our annual Donation Drive supports individuals experiencing homelessness across Durham Region during the winter season. This initiative provides each person with a gift to receive and a gift to give—allowing them to share kindness with someone they care about. We are collecting warm essentials, personal-care items, and small meaningful gifts to help bring comfort, dignity, and connection during the holidays.
World Homeless Day 2025
On October 10th, we came together for World Homeless Day at the Durham Region Headquarters in Whitby. It was a heartfelt and powerful event that brought community members, service providers, and leaders together in solidarity with those experiencing homelessness.
The day began with a moving performance by Indigenous drummers, followed by a powerful message from an Indigenous speaker who reminded us of the deep roots of resilience, healing, and community. The gathering created space for reflection, connection, and commitment to the continued work of ensuring everyone has a place to call home.
We are grateful to all who attended and supported the event, and we remain dedicated to advancing compassion, housing, and dignity across our region.
Changing the Face of Homelessness
April 21, 2023
Participants were invited to join the discussion and hear directly from with persons with lived experience of homelessness about the challenges they face regarding housing, mental health, policing and addiction.
The day began with a key-note address from Tim Richter, Founder, President & CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Our speakers and topics included:
Exploring Housing Challenges
Brenda Lee Pekelny, The Gap Committee; David Mardar, Housing First Case Worker, CDCD
Exploring the Challenges of Accessing Mental Health Support
Daniel Cullen, The Gap Committee; Stephanie Skopyk, RN, Nurse Practitioner, Canadian Mental Health Association Durham
Understanding Policing and the Unsheltered Community
A conversation with Staff Sergeant Amanda Hoover, Durham Regional Police Services
Exploring the Challenges of Accessing Support for Addiction Issues
Adam Smith, The Gap Committee; Mistee Gladwell, AIDS Committee Durham Region;
Clair Hewitt, Redemption House
The Spirit of Service
Alisha Neubauer; Selina and April Hinds, The Gap Committee
Thank you to everyone who participated in this honest, open, meaningful conversation.
Hope Is …
February 17th, 2023
The Hope is … Workshop brought together people in Ajax with lived experience of homelessness and service providers to examine the power of hope. As a large group, and in smaller groups, we shared our individual understanding of hope and discussed how we can build a healthy, inclusive Ajax community.
Sessions included Hope is … led by nursing students from York University; Examples from The Past to Inform Our Future led by Empress from the Gap Committee; The Power of Hope led by Karen Bell of TruPotential; Hope is Essential led by Doreen Hume-McKenna of Durham Mental Health Services.
Thank you to Community Development Council Durham, the Region of Durham and the Ajax Library for sponsoring the day.
Nothing About Us, Without Us
October 13th, 2021
In recognition of World Homeless Day, the Back Door Mission and The Gap Committee hosted an event filled with interactive activities and guest speakers to help inform, educate, and empower our community on homelessness.
Over 50 participants enjoyed activities such as a life sized “Snakes and Ladders” board game where participants moved through the game depending on their given circumstances.
Snakes and Ladder Activity Example: You apply for an apartment, but you fail the credit check, proof of employment and cannot provide three references with
the application. Take three steps back.
Respect gets Respect Workshop
August 25th, 2021
The Gap Committee in collaboration with the Back Door Mission and the Region of Durham hosted a 3-hour workshop called “Respect-Gets-Respect.”
This initiative was held for community members to share their recommendations on how we can live together using a framework based on values and respect.
This workshop aimed to collect community suggestions for creating a values-based community agreement.
To see the workshop summary report, click the link below:
Community Baseball Game
Mission Knights vs. Durham Blues | August 27th
In collaboration with the Back Door Mission and Durham Regional Police Services, we hosted a community baseball game on August 27th at Lakeview Park.
Members of the street-engaged community, staff and police officers showed team spirit in a friendly game of baseball!
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