As Brendan Carlin puts it, "sandwiches and water keep people alive."

But Shelter House's Street Outreach Services (SOS) program in Thunder Bay, Ont., is about much more than that.

The program was discontinued in 2022 due to a lack of funding. Since then, the effects of its loss have lingered in the northwestern Ontario city, especially as homelessness has continued to rise.

Bringing the service back has been a key priority for community partners since before Carlin became executive director of She…