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St Stephen In-The-Fields

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Last week at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Church, Maggie Helwig launched Instructions for the End of the World: Homilies of Comfort and Resistance 💥

Thanks to all who came out for this powerful conversation between Maggie Helwig and Noah Lamanna.

You can also visit A Community Was/Is Here: An Art Show at the church’s courtyard (103 Bellevue Ave., Toronto) until June 27. This art show memorializes the community that previously gathered in the courtyard’s encampment (which was cleared by the City on October 16, 2025) and which is still here. We’ve included a few photos of the work by artists and former residents, but there is much more to see and read about in person.

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Come join us on June 18th for the launch of Maggie Helwig’s new book!

‘Instructions for the End of the World’ is a collection of homilies that Maggie has presented at St. Stephen’s during the political, social and environmental crises of the last six years.

If you read ‘Encampment’, you know that Maggie both writes and acts with a vision of radical resistance and community care. ‘Instructions for the End of the World’ offers a framework for facing our uncertain and often terrifying future as a collective.
From the microcosm of the encampment to the staggering scale of a planet on the brink, the directive remains the same - the only way through is to love each other.

‘Work and pray and protest and create, build and cherish, listen to each other, keep on going. Somehow or other, love the Lord your God, and love your unclean neighbour as yourself, and let that despised neighbour lift you bleeding from the dust, and then go, and try to do likewise. Let it be here, because this is the only place we have. Now, because this is the only time we have.’

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We’re putting on an art show! Join us at St. Stephen’s on June 16 for the opening night gathering 🎉

While the encampment has been replaced with concrete blocks, former residents largely remain living rough. Our show is intended to highlight that a community both is and was in the courtyard at 103 Bellevue: a fact that can’t be erased despite best efforts by a city attempting to present a false, sanitized image ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Bring a snack and a friend and come say hi!

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Today was towel delivery day! TDIN was able to secure a donation of gently used and washed towels to distribute to drop-in programs across Toronto.

One of our Advocacy Committee Members, Corry, kindly dropped off several huge bags of towels at 4 of the Drop-ins from our Network, and Maureen from Cummer Avenue United Church Drop-Inn came to pick some up. Corry dropped off towels at The Corner Drop-In, Haven, St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church: Safe Space Drop-in, and The Meeting Place. Thanks to our generous donor, GoodLife Fitness!

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Say it louder for the people in the back: we aren’t going anywhere.

Whether it’s serving over 300 meals a week at our drop-in meals, accompanying friends to court hearings, or welcoming over 100 visits to our small-but-mighty medical clinic each season, we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing in the downtown core—love our neighbours, especially those who are most marginalized in the city.

With homelessness having more than doubled in the past few years, we can’t afford to be distracted. Until we see a day where affordable, stable housing is available to all, we keep going. And we hope more of our neighbours join us in doing so.

#Toronto #housingjustice #homelessnothopeless #advocacy #humanrights housing crisis, mercy ministry, compassion in action, Christian faith, positive change

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Angry or curious about the state of homelessness in the city? Have we got resources for you!

These resources were created by current advocates in the city who are still active today. They provide important context that explains why the state of homelessness has exploded in the past few years—hint: a major world event in 2020 may have been a big factor in today’s housing crisis.👀 Can you guess what it is?

Have any recommendations yourself? Drop them in the comments below!

#advocacy #Toronto #homelessnothopeless #education #resourcepost housing justice, housing, homelessness, human rights

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Highlights from our 2025 events season 🎉

Thank you for coming out to celebrate all of our releases and authors last year! We're so looking forward to seeing you at an event soon – we already have a few coming up across Canada:

📚 On Feb. 3, Maggie Helwig will be joining the By the Lake Book Club (Toronto)
📚 On Feb. 5, André Alexis will be in conversation with Jamaal Amir Akbari to celebrate the 30th year of Black History Month in Canada (Ottawa)
📚 On Feb. 10, Maggie Helwig will discuss Encampment and the housing crisis across Canada with Jackie Wong (Vancouver)

For more info & to RSVP, head to chbooks.com/Events or the link in our bio.

(Photos: Maggie Helwig and Michael Ondaatje discuss Encampment at TYPE Books; Susan Holbrook reads from Steamy at our Spring Group Launch; Christian Bök and André Alexis discuss the Xenotext project at TYPE; Maggie Helwig's Encampment launch at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields; Heather Birrell launches Born; our 60th anniversary party!; Andrew Kaufman launches Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel at TYPE; Nasser Hussain at a CH 5 à 7; the Wayzgoose!; WOTS; Kate Cayley launches Property)

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Toronto, Canada. 12.24.2025. In a defiant Christmas Eve protest, the Rector of a downtown Toronto church and several community members scaled a city-mandated security fence to install a Nativity scene on the ground where a long-standing encampment for the unhoused was razed two months ago by the city of Toronto.

The Rev. Maggie Helwig, Rector of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, led the group over the perimeter at approximately 4 p.m. to occupy the restricted space directly in front of the church. The area has been a site of significant tension since October, when city workers evicted residents and installed fencing and heavy concrete barriers to prevent the site from being resettled. The encampment was there for years with the permission, protection and support of the Church.

The group assembled the traditional scene using blue tarpaulin and sang hymns within the restricted zone as a challenge to the city’s legislative approach toward the unhoused and the use of hostile architecture in public spaces. Because the church’s original infant Jesus figure had gone missing, Helwig used a Nelson Mandela doll as a substitute, wrapping it in cloth and using a surgical mask as a bonnet.

The October clearing of the St. Stephen’s site was part of a broader push by the City of Toronto to dismantle encampments in public areas. Advocates for the unhoused maintain that these enforcement measures displace vulnerable people without addressing the lack of permanent supportive housing.

For the congregation, the demonstration served as a defiant act against the inhumane treatment that the city treats unhoused people with and a reminder of what community stands for. It also stood as a symbolic parallel to the biblical narrative of displacement.

#toronto #photojournalism #documentary #nativity #protest

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The arrival of winter should not be a surprise to @cityofto. ❄️ Yet, when it comes to dealing with homelessness, why does th city seem to scramble to put together a plan to shield unhoused residents from the cold? Swipe to learn about Toronto's winter services plan...and why it's not working.

We need more space for warmth—contact your councillor today to call for more respite spaces!

#CompassionInAction #homelessoutreach #toronto #HousingJustice #housingcrisis #homelessnothopeless

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#DidYouKnow about Raynaud’s syndrome? Our friend Paula tells us all about this condition that affects many on the streets.

Help unhoused neighbours avoid health issues like Raynaud’s syndrome by giving mittens, gloves and thermal socks to our coat closet! We’re accepting donations at the following dates and times:

Monday: 12–3 PM
Wednesday: 9 AM–4 PM
Friday: 11 AM–2 PM

#sanctuaryto #homelessnothopeless #toronto #communitywork #housingforall #homelessoutreach #housingcrisis

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Maggie Helwig’s Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community is featured on The Globe and Mail’s 100 Best Books of 2025!

‘In 2022, Helwig, a priest at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Church in Toronto’s Kensington Market, controversially began opening her churchyard to the homeless, where they’ve remained ever since. In this memoir, she profiles occupants of the tent cities that have become fixtures across the country, explaining her natural affinity for this population and the frustratingly practical obstacles they face trying to get off the streets.’

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ICYMI: We’re calling on our community to take action with us! If you’d like to stand with Sanctuary during a time of unprecedented challenges, swipe to learn about the major ways you can do so. Go to the 🔗 in our bio to act now!

#standwithsanctuary #toronto #housingcrisis #compassioninaction #housingjustice #homelessnothopeless

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