Photo credit: Toronto Today
After just over a year, a 551-unit apartment building, Dunn House, was opened in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood; a similar project will be sited there. direct access to doctors
Toronto Today reports that Dunn House is the first social housing project in Toronto’s housing history to offer residents a roof over their heads, along with direct access to doctors, nurses, social workers and a range of other support geared toward helping residents stay off the streets, while also relieving pressure on the city'[s overburdened hospitals.
On Tuesday, Mayor Olivia Chow, federal Housing |Minister Gregor Robertson and provincial Housing Minister Rob Flack announced a joint venture to construct a 54-unit, rent-geared-to-income building for at-risk seniors in Parkdale, dubbed Dunn House Phase 2.
The central premise of Dunn House is to provide housing with wraparound support for people experiencing homelessness. The city, province and federal government said this in-house support is cheaper than paying for constant stays in hospitals/city shelters, jails and rehab facilities.
The program’s early results have proven promising. Dunn House tenants have reduced their emergency department visits by 52 per cent, alongside a 79 per cent drop in the amount of time the residents previously spent in hospital beds, according to figures provided by University Health Network (UHN).
That equates to $2.1 million in annual savings to the provincial healthcare system.
Dr Kevin Smith, president of UHN, said services like those offered at Dunn House are essential in improving the health of people among Toronto’s homeless population, “whom emergency departments too often serve as the front door to care.”
