Latest news with #CMHAThamesValley
CBC
05-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
$5M from anonymous donor to fund 115 'badly needed' supportive housing units
A local non-profit organization will run 115 new highly supportive and affordable housing units in London thanks to $5 million from a fund created by an anonymous donation in 2023. The Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services (CMHA Thames Valley) will use the money to build two new apartment buildings in different parts of the city. One will be built at 248-254 Hill St. in SoHo with plans to have 33 one-bedroom units. The other will include 27 studio, 28 one-bedroom, and 27 two-bedroom units at 644-646 Huron St., according to CMHA Thames Valley. "[These units are] absolutely important because we know that not all affordable housing is supportive. With supportive housing you have supports embedded in the building," said Dean Astolfi, CMHA Thames Valley's VP of supportive housing and program development. Supportive housing is designed to provide residents with services that, depending on the development, range from onsite care that includes mental health, addiction and nursing services, to meals, activities and other and housing stability supports. The announcement sees London inch closer to reaching a goal to have 600 new highly supportive units, bringing the tally to 406 units either open, or planned. The money to make it happen is being shelled out by the London Community Foundation, which drew the funds from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change that started in January 2023 with a $25 million anonymous donation for homelessness and addictions support. Since its creation, millions more have been donated to the fund by Londoners and matched by the initial donor. So far, the city says $17.4 million has been spent on various initiatives. "It feels like a great endorsement of the work that needs to be done, and I'm very pleased to [receive it]," Astolfi said of the investment. With construction set to begin this fall, the new four-storey building at 248-254 Hill St. is expected to open by the fall of 2026. Construction on the seven-storey building at 644-646 Huron St. is set to begin in early 2026, with occupancy planned for winter 2027. 'We need all the housing resources we can get' Monday's announcement gets two thumbs up from Chuck Lazenby, the executive director of Unity Project. Lazenby's work centres around helping Londoners struggling with addictions and homelessness, whether they be in crisis, or in need of help getting out of shelters and into supportive housing. "My reaction to these kinds of announcements is always, 'Hell yeah.' We need all the housing resources we can get," Lazenby said. "That includes a diversity of supports that get attached to those housing options." Often people accessing shelters spend a long time waiting for supportive housing that could be their ticket to a stable, safe life, Lazenby said. "It's incredibly difficult. Incredibly frustrating. We have never struggled as much as we do now to find housing for people. It's just not as readily available." In January, the City of London released data showing a 7,000 person strong waitlist for supportive housing. As the push to build more supportive housing continues, London Mayor Josh Morgan said the city will continue to look for opportunities to pitch in and attract developers and organizations to do their part. Morgan said statistics from a London Cares-run supportive housing building at 362 Dundas St. speak to the effectiveness of the model, and why it's worth investing in. Ninety per cent of people living in the building came from encampments or the streets, and 10 per cent came from long-term hospital stays. One year later, 98 per cent remained housed, 93 per cent hadn't experienced an overdose, and almost half stopped or decreased all substance use. "These are transformative numbers," he said. Although it seems the city will overshoot the goal of 600 new units in three years, that won't stop the efforts, Morgan said. "We put an ambitious goal out there and we've made significant progress toward it. I don't think we're going to stop until we know that we have the number of supportive housing units in the city that we need," Morgan said.
CBC
27-01-2025
- Health
- CBC
CMHA Thames Valley to open new HART hub location in London with 60 beds in spring
The Ontario government announced Monday that it will open 18 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs across the province, including one in London, by April 1. The London hub will be operated by Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley, Ontario's largest branch of the organization. It will have 60 beds at a location that hasn't yet been finalized, plus another 60 beds scattered across existing shelters throughout the city. "All Ontarians, including those struggling with mental health and addiction challenges deserve convenient access to care, to support, to resources and treatment options," Health Minister Sylvia Jones said at an announcement at CMHA's office in London. The 18 hubs are an addition to the nine existing locations, which were former supervised consumption sites that transitioned into hubs after they were closed due to their proximity to schools and daycare centres. The total 27 hubs will be funded through a $529 million investment. CMHA Thames Valley submitted its proposal to open a HART hub in September, one month after the province announced the move to close supervised consumption sites and needle exchanges within 200 metres of schools and childcare centres. HART hubs resemble existing hub models, including two in London, and will connect people with complex mental health and addictions needs to comprehensive treatment and preventative services such as primary care, mental health services, addictions care, social services and employment support. The provincial hubs will have similar services to the Youth Opportunities Unlimited hub and Atlohsa's hub at Parkwood Institute for Indigenous people. "I'm so thrilled that through HART hub funding, there will be a place for clients to have wraparound supports on their journey to wellness," said the local CMHA branch's CEO Pam Tobin. "Projects are already underway that will continue to expand capacity of London's supportive housing units and affordable housing to ensure clients have a pathway to long-term sustainable housing solutions." The province estimates hubs will add 540 highly supportive housing units across all 27 HART hubs, in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds, said Jones. The 18 new HART Hubs that have been approved by the province are: Fourcast – Four Counties Addictions Services Team (Peterborough). CMHA Peel Dufferin (Brampton). Health Sciences North/ Horizon Santé Nord (Greater Sudbury). The HART of Simcoe (Barrie). Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (Windsor). CMHA Hastings and Prince Edward County (Belleville). Durham Community Health Centre (Oshawa). CMHA Thames Valley (London). CMHA Algoma (Sault Ste. Marie). Services and Housing in Province (Dufferin County). Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (Lanark, Leeds and Grenville). Oxford Ontario Health Team (Oxford County). County of Renfrew (Renfrew County). Gateway of Niagara (Niagara). CMHA Lambton Kent Sarnia (Sarnia). Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre (Ottawa). Kenora Chiefs Advisory (Kenora). Maamwesying (Sault Ste. Marie).
