Neil Hamell like most of us had struggles in his life, but instead of wasting energy getting upset he is doing something positive to help the homeless and those with mental illness.
“There is no point getting angry at all the injustice around you,” Hamell said. “I made up my mind that I wanted to the homeless and those with mental illness, as the two often go together.”
Hamell decided to walk from London, Ontario where he currently resides to Timmins Ontario where he once lived.
Along the way he will let people know the purpose of his mission.
He started off in St. Catharines, and proceeded to Niagara Falls, Port Colborne up through Hamilton, Brantford, Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, looping back east through, Guelph, Brampton and Toronto.
From the Toronto waterfront Hamell will veer north to along Yonge Street, the longest street in the world to Richmond Hill, Aurora, Barrie; through Orillia, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, Powassan, North Bay, Temiskaming Shore, Cobalt, Englehart, Matheson where he will hang a left at Highway 101 and walk into Timmins.
Hamell has a simple strategy for completing his walk.
“I am going to keep on walking and not give up,” he said. “I am just going to keep on going until I reach Timmins.”
Why Timmins?
As a youth when he was living in Timmins and having troubles he met a friend of his aunt who lived in there. Her name is Mel Chartier.
“At a moment in my life, Mel listened to me and I was able to develop a trusting relation with an adult,” explained Hamell. “I was able to turn my life around.”
“I heard Mel was helping the homeless in Timmins and that inspired me to want to help,” Hamell added.
Until recently, Chartier and Christina Geddes were running the Our Place Warming station out of Geddes’ SpeakEasy office space on the corner of Third Avenue and Spruce St. S.
Though no longer connected with Our Place, Chartier is still helping with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Thursday night drop-in on 2nd Avenue east of Spruce Street South.
Chartier is also involved with the Tuesday evening dinners at the Timmins Native Friendship Centre on Kirby Ave and Cedar Street South.
The first week of Hamell’s walk was highlighted by meeting all sorts of people who stopped to chat after seeing him his sign about the homeless and the mentally ill.
“Many people come to me and shared experiences about their personal struggles with mental illness, homelessness or that of people they know,” Hamell recounted.
“One guy was walking his dogs and he wanted to talk to me, but the dogs got spooked and they wouldn’t let me go near him,” said Hamell. “So he takes his dogs home as I kept on walking.”
“Next thing I know this guy who must have been a quarter mile behind me is running to catch up,” he said.
“He really wanted to tell me something badly, so I stopped and waited for him,” Hamell added.
Jake, the man who approached Neil, is a paramedic. A friend of his in the paramedic course committed suicide.
Jake was still feeling the grief.
“I listened to Jake as he told me the story of his friend’s struggle and eventual suicide,” Hamell said. “He wished me good luck and thanked me for bringing awareness to the issue of mental illness.”
That Hamell scheduled his walk to coincide with Mental Health Awareness week in Canada is no coincidence.
Despite the occasional bouts with sore feet and having to sleep in less than ideal locations in his light weight tent and sleeping bag, Hamell is determined to complete the walk.
“One night I slept in a field next to a graveyard,” said Hamell. “Another night, near a farmer’s field right next to the crops – she was very accommodating and even made me a care package.”
Hamell does intend to sleep in some homeless shelters but so far he hasn’t come across any.
And that is the point of his walk. In many smaller communities there are no homeless shelters. And the shelters in Toronto and other larger cities are filled to the brim.
Hamel who now is married and has a daughter keeps in daily contact with them via social media as his walk progresses. He is following his daughter and her softball team and cheering her own as he continues his walk across Ontario.
You can follow Neil Hamell on social media.
