He Knows What It's Like
Empathy and Compassion For The Clients We Serve
Scott Mission’s Julian Picon understands the clients he serves, because he too was once alone in the city.
Scott Mission’s 24/7 emergency men’s shelter Director, Julian Picon, was much like our shelter clients when he first immigrated to Canada from Colombia, South America in 2005—broke, alone, without family, without anything.
He’d left his wife and daughter behind to forge a new life for his family in Toronto – spending two years alone, often feeling homeless despite being blessed enough to be housed. He didn’t even speak English and had to seek out interpretive services once he arrived.
It wasn’t long before he made his way to Scott Mission, wondering if they would be able to help him in a meaningful way – being pleasantly surprised when they did.
“They looked beyond what they saw and embraced me as a human being."
“Coming to Scott Mission moved me profoundly because I felt real empathy and compassion there,” says Julian, “They looked beyond what they saw and embraced me as a human being. They gave me the emotional support and understanding I needed at that time.”
Scott Mission helped Julian in many ways, perhaps most importantly by helping him obtain his work permit. The Mission recognized something special about him, so they offered him part-time employment, in general client services, in 2007. Soon after, they began to invest in his future and helped him obtain his project management education at Seneca College. In 2015 Julian helped at the Mission, as an informal day counsellor, and in 2016 he led Scott Mission’s pilot addictions recovery program, helping clients to stabilize their lives.
In October 2019, he was promoted to the manager of the men’s shelter, and today, Julian is the Director of Shelter and Recovery at Scott Mission. He says, “I have come full circle since my arrival at Scott Mission, and it’s been a privilege for me to receive the training and the opportunity to serve men who are chronically homeless and without hope. I understand because I’ve been there myself. When I share my story with the men I serve, they realize that they can rebuild their lives and that I’m here to help them on their journey.”
Today, Julian leads a team of people who work at the Mission’s men’s shelter at 346 Spadina Avenue and our Men’s Respite Centre at 502 Spadina Avenue, which are open 24/7 – serving 121 men who find solace and support inside the Mission’s doors.
Scott Mission continues to be a beacon of hope for men who are experiencing homelessness across our city. “There is a paradigm of thinking that people are homeless because they abused substances or have severe mental illness,” observes Picon. “While these things are also prevalent,” he continues, “they don’t give the full story. The pandemic has broadened the list of people who have become homeless.”
Julian is concerned about the growing level of homelessness in the city and notes the 99% occupancy rate of Toronto’s emergency shelters (Source: The Green Line). He’s especially concerned that Scott Mission’s shelter will soon face a new problem—a large resident population of seniors, many of whom have poor health.
“We need to prepare now to house elder residents, some of whom are palliative,” remarks Julian. While Scott Mission is here, as a beacon of hope, for those who are experiencing homelessness across our city there is much more to be done. Picon continues, “I am incredibly grateful to our donors who continue to support the Mission’s vital work to provide shelter, meals, groceries, counselling, and spiritual care for those who need it most.”
Today, Julian leads a team of people who work at the Mission’s men’s shelter at 346 Spadina Avenue and our Men’s Respite Centre at 502 Spadina Avenue, which are open 24/7 – serving 121 men who find solace and support inside the Mission’s doors.
Scott Mission continues to be a beacon of hope for men who are experiencing homelessness across our city. “There is a paradigm of thinking that people are homeless because they abused substances or have severe mental illness,” observes Picon. “While these things are also prevalent,” he continues, “they don’t give the full story. The pandemic has broadened the list of people who have become homeless.”
Julian is concerned about the growing level of homelessness in the city and notes the 99% occupancy rate of Toronto’s emergency shelters (Source: The Green Line). He’s especially concerned that Scott Mission’s shelter will soon face a new problem—a large resident population of seniors, many of whom have poor health.
“We need to prepare now to house elder residents, some of whom are palliative,” remarks Julian. While Scott Mission is here, as a beacon of hope, for those who are experiencing homelessness across our city there is much more to be done. Picon continues, “I am incredibly grateful to our donors who continue to support the Mission’s vital work to provide shelter, meals, groceries, counselling, and spiritual care for those who need it most.”
Scott Mission exists to meet urgent needs and to provide life-transforming resources to help our neighbours build a better future — just like Julian did so many years ago, when he walked through the doors of Scott Mission and found hope.
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