Sudbury charity looks to help vulnerable people reconnect with their families

The opioid crisis has impacted many families with loved ones going missing or becoming estranged. Now, a Greater Sudbury based charity, The Go-Give Project, is trying to change that by helping people overcome the loss of contact through its ‘Connecting Families Program.’

Officials with the program tell CTV News that some people have lost contact with loved ones and families and individuals are suffering from homelessness that are looking for each other.

“It certainly is very difficult for folks who don’t have a fixed address, don’t have access to a phone all the time or to the internet to keep that communication open,” said Ali Farooq with The Go-Give project.

He explained that the Connecting Families Program offers a link for people who want to reconnect.

“We provide a service of being an intermediary for messages phone calls,” said Farooq.

“We even provide a safe meeting space in our office space for loved ones as well.”

The Go-Give Project's program manager Ali Farooq working inside their office space on Larch Street in Greater Sudbury on December 23, 2024. (Alana Everson/CTV News Northern Ontario)

The program was launched four years ago and those involved said it was born out of necessity when a homeless individual dealing with substance issues was asking for his mother and the charity was able to connect them.

“We were able to locate the mother,” said Farooq.

“She thought that the individual had been deceased for five years. So that came as shock to both us and the mother as well apparently.”

After that the charity saw the need for this kind of service to be there.

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Farooq told CTV News that informed consent and confidentiality is key to the program.

“It’s a program that is based on informed consent between the family and the individual that is being found,” he said.

“It provides a platform for families to find and connect with their loved ones who are suffering from addictions or from homelessness.”

The charity advised that there are currently 27 families registered with the program but their goal is to help anyone in need connect as long as both parties consent.