Sims: Woman killed in hit-and-run had found refuge at St. Thomas cafe

Article content

During the coming days, the Grace Café in St. Thomas will have Carissa George’s photo on their front coffee counter, so the people who knew her can pay their respects.

After a few days, the picture of the 34-year-old homeless woman, killed last weekend in a hit-and-run crash, will be moved to their memorial wall that honours the fallen friends of the Talbot Street soup kitchen and comfort zone for the community‘s most vulnerable.

Article content

Those who volunteer and work at the café wish they knew more about the shy, quiet woman who started to frequent the café six months ago, always wearing a dark hoodie with the hood up, and who said and asked for little.

“I wish I knew her story more,” said Lori Graves, manager of the faith-based, non-profit café. “I wish I knew her story, period.

“Honestly, it breaks my heart. I don’t know if there was anybody who was there to hear her story in the last few months.”

What’s known about George is a familiar story about homelessness, addiction, mental health issues and poverty and the great need, in communities across the region, for safe, comfortable spaces such as the Grace Café.

George was struck by the vehicle on June 22 at 1:20 a.m. at Sunset Road and Fingal Line, the intersection on the city’s west side where the iconic Elevated Park towers over the road leading to Port Stanley. Police said the driver fled the scene and a brief video clip of the vehicle was released to the public to drum up tips.

At a news conference Thursday, St. Thomas police Chief Mark Roskamp announced a 35-year-old Thamesville man had been charged with failing to remain at a crash causing death and two counts of driving while prohibited. He made his first court appearance on Thursday.

Article content

Article content

They also identified George as the victim, and said she was taken to a St. Thomas hospital, but could not be saved.

Court records show George was known to police. She was supposed to have been in the Ontario Court of Justice for a court appearance in St. Thomas on Tuesday. She had five sets of charges laid in the past three months, three times in April, once in May and most recently, on June 12.

Graves said George started coming to the café with some frequency during the last six months. “She was very shy, she was very quiet,” she said. “She would come in and I would give her clothing. We would give her food. We would give her whatever kind of help we could that she would accept. But she was very withdrawn and kept very much to herself.”

The café staff knew George was struggling – one volunteer had to coax her to take a new pair of shoes to replace her worn footwear – and tried to reach out to her but she “wasn’t overly chatty, even with us,” Graves said.

George might sit and stay for a while if the weather was bad, but “most of the time, she would just come in and ask for what she needed and we would give her what she needed and then she would be gone again,” Graves said.

Article content

“You could just tell she had been through a difficult time and she kept it to herself, which was a little heartbreaking in itself, because you want to be able to help, but they’ve been hurt in some way by something or somebody, I don’t know.”

The café aims to give people a safe haven to tell their stories. Graves said founder Ginny Trepanier created “a warm and welcoming space” for people who have no other place to go. It’s a place to get a meal, some warm clothing, new shoes or just a spot to relax.

“It’s common for someone who doesn’t have some place to stay to come in and take a nap for two or three hours because they know they’re safe,” Graves said.

For some, it is “a social hub” where isolated people can feel connected to others, get support for addictions and mental health issues, and ask for prayers for medical needs, financial woes or court cases, with the help of an extraordinary team of volunteers, many of whom have personal connections through friends or family to addiction and mental health issues, she said.

Article content

George, Graves said, “would only speak when she absolutely had to.”

But the café must have made a difference in her life, given that her death notice requested memorial donations be made to the organization.

And she will join the memorial wall, which began a decade ago, of people who lived hard lives.

Graves said they still have to find a suitable photo of George for the wall and that has been challenging, given that the only time she ever saw George’s face was when she changed from her hoodie into a sweater given to her by the café.

“Every single time I saw her, she had on a dark hoodie with the hood up and her face was kind of buried,” Graves said. “I recognize her face, but I didn’t see a lot of it.

“It’s incredibly sad. It’s heartbreaking. She was someone who had clearly had a difficult time.”

jsims@postmedia.com

Article content