Photo credit: the Globe and Mail
In what’s believed to be a first in Canada, Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN) is partnering with Fred Victor, a non-profit housing organization, to provide fifty-one permanent homes with health and social supports to homeless people who use its hospitals the most.
CBC reports that the new housing project is for those who are homeless and frequently end up in the emergency room of the hospital. The hope is that the project will ease pressures on hospitals while also providing stable care for vulnerable individuals.
The executive director of the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine at UHN, Dr Andrew Boozary, said, “What we’re trying to build is this continuum of care out from the hospital, where people can be discharged to a safe and stable setting that is their home.
The treatment for the homelessness crisis is housing and, beyond housing, there needs to be these health and social supports in place.”
The project, which is officially named Dunn House, was officially opened on Thursday. Residents are expected to move in over the coming weeks and months.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Toronto’s Mayor, Olivia Chow said, “To be finally able to move into a home, you can learn to pull your life back together.”
In news release, the mayor added, “People experiencing homelessness often need supportive housing, with access to social and health care supports, to stay housed and build their lives. Tis site will bring meaningful change to the lives of the people moving into these homes and help guide our ongoing response to Toronto’s housing and homelessness crises.”
UHN has earmarked all fifty-one apartments in the building for those who use its hospitals frequently and were willing to move there, Boozary said. The homes are set to help unhoused individuals with complex medical and social needs.
Unfortunately, some of those who were set to move in have died before the project’s opening, which highlights the need for such a space, he continued.
Canada is dealing with a surge in homelessness. This is partly because of the high cost of living, mental health struggles, and the opioid addiction crisis.
Toronto’s shelters are full, with some 12,000 people. There are also several hundred people on the streets, in parks or in encampments across the city.
The modular, four-storey building will have fully furnished studio apartments with a kitchenette, living area, bedroom and bathroom. Fifteen of the units will be barrier free for those who use mobility devices. There will also be a health clinic inside the building.
Residents will also have a variety of community-based supports available in addition to doctors, including psychiatric help, case management support, justice help, harm reduction resources, and prepared meals.
CEO of Fred Victor, an organization with experience in shelters and supportive housing, Keith Hambly, said, the combination of health and housing is badly needed.
There is also a large community space for residents to use for all purposes. Hambly said they’ll likely have art classes, cooking classes and perhaps pottery classes.
