“She asked me, ‘What other options do I have?’”

Esther Kwan
Special to Spur Ottawa

Every night, on weekends, First Baptist Church opens their doors. It is not for a service, but for Restoring Hope Ministries. At 9 p.m. sharp, more than a dozen youth file into the basement, eager for a plate of food and a warm bed.

When Jason Pino founded Restoring Hope Ministries, he wanted it to be more than just another shelter.

“When youth come in and tell you, ‘I haven’t slept in two days,’ or ‘I haven’t eaten in a couple days,’ you know you can do something,” he says. “But we want to get to know them, as opposed to just, ‘You’re a client and this is a service.’ We want to show them they’re worth the effort, that they’re cared for, and they’re not a problem to be solved.”

Pino realized the need for a youth ministry like this while working as a youth outreach worker at Ottawa Innercity Ministries. One experience in particular stands out as a turning point for him.

“A youth told me she was going to hang out in front of the strip club,” he says. “When guys come out at night and see a young girl panhandling, they offer to take her home with them. She felt the option to not sleep outside at night was to go home with these guys.”

It was a moment of awakening for Pino.

“Too often, services are cut or programs never begin, quite simply because the finances are not there.”

“I told her, ‘Please don’t do this. It’s really dangerous.’ She said to me, ‘Well, what other options do I have?’”

Pierced to the heart, Pino was determined to make a difference. Five years later, Restoring Hope is a testament of his dedication and love for the city’s homeless youth. Pino is not alone. The ministry’s volunteers echo his passion for building transforming relationships with the youth.

“I often walk down Bank Street during my lunch break and sometimes I see youth panhandling,” says team leader Stephanie Lim. “At one point, I was just moved and thought, ‘There must be something more that I can do.’

“I see my work at Restoring Hope ultimately as showing love, as Christ would, to the youth. It’s a real blessing to build relationships with the kids, to show them that they matter and that they’re valued.”

Pino says that value is the biggest obstacle to solving homelessness in Ottawa. God made everyone in His image. Pino believes valuing people more than anything else is crucial.

“It showed me how much God loves these kids.”

“Too often, services are cut or programs never begin, quite simply because the finances are not there. Yet, finances themselves are not the problem—it’s the attitude about those who experience poverty,” he says.

The fact that Restoring Hope got off the ground Pino sees as a miracle.

“It showed me how much God loves these kids. It wasn’t because of my ability to do anything. It was because of His ability to open the doors,” He says. “So even though we’re stretched to our limits right now, there’s this confidence that this is God’s ministry and He will take care of us. If we start to take steps of faith, God will meet us there.”