If you have ever visited Belong Ottawa at Centre 454, chances are you know Liz.
With her boisterous laugh and contagious energy, Liz has been a community builder at Centre 454 for 25 years, making her Belong Ottawa’s longest tenured employee. As Belong Ottawa’s Community Development Manager, you can often find Liz organizing participant events like annual summer picnics, art shows, and holiday parties. Beyond that, Liz is a pillar, a familiar face, and a recognized source of support at Belong Ottawa, knowing most participants by name and their stories in detail.
From a young age, Liz has been an advocate for vulnerable populations which led to the start of her career with the City of Ottawa. After moving to Centre 454, Liz forged connections with staff, volunteers, and participants alike. From working frontline as a social support worker to working in management, Liz has done it all.
At the start of each day, Liz makes her rounds saying hello to participants having breakfast, and these greetings continue throughout the day with participants often looking for Liz just to say hello.
“I have known participants before they started their families, and now their babies have babies who come to see me,” says Liz.
In 2023, Belong Ottawa was formed when St Luke’s Table, The Well, and Centre 454 joined together under one umbrella in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after, Liz became a familiar face at all three programs. Despite her impact, Liz remains humble. “I don’t feel like I’m doing anything extraordinary, besides being the person who helps someone hang on to hope,” she shares.
Hope is a common motivating factor for Liz, who says her work at Belong Ottawa and the entire staff team, is one built on hope and connection. “Without connection, there is no hope. We give people connection and thus we give hope. It’s very easy to be invisible when you’re marginalized or unhoused, but when you’re here, people know who you are, stop to see how you’re doing, invite you to do an activity, and make you feel seen.”
Belong Ottawa’s programming includes meals, hygiene support, systems navigation, and social recreation driven in part by Liz. These activities help bring participants together, provide a source of fun, and provide activities for Participants to look forward to, thereby inspiring a sense of hope and anticipation.
When asked what “We All Belong” means to her, Liz says, “Every human life has value regardless of where you are in life.”
Despite the changing climate of homelessness in Ottawa, Liz is more motivated than ever to continue bringing people together with social recreation and community events.
“Never be the one that extinguishes the flame of hope in another human being. No one is perfect and we’ve all made mistakes. That should not preclude you from having a better future, or a dream. People have lived through circumstances that are often out of their control, and it is our role to provide support, and to provide hope for a better future.”
As we celebrate milestone anniversaries for our programs, Liz’s unwavering commitment reminds us that, at Belong Ottawa, community is built through connection, compassion, and shared hope.
Help us continue fostering hope and connection at Belong Ottawa. Click here to learn how you can support our work.
We All Belong
In celebration of 70 years at Centre 454, 41 years at St Luke’s Table, and 40 years at The Well, Belong Ottawa is telling the stories of our diverse community members and how they have found belonging within our programs. Follow along with #BelongBirthday and #WeAllBelong.