Union Mission for Men
47-49 Daly Avenue
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
What do a men's shelter and ladies' school have in common? In this case, location. The limestone building that today houses the Union Mission for Men was originally built by Wilhem Rahe, a banker, in the early 1860s. The Rahes lived in one half and rented the other half to Miss A.M. Harmon's Ladies School. Miss Harmon likely instructed her young charges in reading, writing and arithmetic. But the 19th-century education of young ladies also included sewing, drawing, vocal music and domestic skills.
The Union Mission for Men, now the Ottawa Mission, has been operating out of this location since 1912. The mission serves over 1,000 meals each day and over 200 men currently take shelter there each night. The services they provide range from addiction counselling and dental care to fulfilling the most basic human needs for things such as hot showers and clean clothing.
