Latest news with #CanadianMentalHealthAssociation
CBC
17-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Ontario announces funding for Windsor physicians providing care to the unhoused in shelters
The Ontario government has committed up to $3.8 million to a physician group in Windsor that provides health-care services to people in homeless shelters in the city and to some people who have housing but require support. The money has allowed Windsor Shelter Health Associates to expand from two physicians working a total of around nine hours a week to 11 physicians working six days a week, said medical director Jennifer Bondy. It's also allowed them to build a team of family physicians, addiction medicine physicians, palliative care physicians, an infectious disease physician and psychiatry, Bondy said. "I used to see a lot of wound care at the very beginning before we were funded in any way," Bondy told reporters at an event Wednesday announcing the funding, which she said began flowing at the start of 2024. "Now we are able to regularly see people for their continuous care needs like diabetes, for example. Or if they might have a primary psychiatric diagnosis, we can see them for their schizophrenia, for example, and really make a dent in the care delivery." Bondy began providing services to unhoused people in 2021, partly as a volunteer and partly while working for the Canadian Mental Health Association, she told CBC. New funding model Another physician joined a couple of years ago, she said. Then at the start of 2024, Bondy's service received recognition under a new provincial funding model called the Homeless Shelter Alternate Payment Plan, which does not require patients to roster with physicians and which compensates physicians both for their time and for the complexity of their patients' needs, she said. "We've been able to go from three half-day clinics a week to multiple half-day clinics across five different sites," she said. Shelter Health serves people at the Salvation Army Men's Emergency Shelter, the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4), the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, the Downtown Mission of Windsor, and Journey Home Hospice, according to a news release from the province. It also provides services to people who have housing but require support. Shelter Health secured Interprofessional Primary Care Team Funding through Ontario Health in the spring of 2024 to supplement the physician funding, Bondy said. That funding flows through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), she added. CMHA Windsor CEO Nicole Sbrocca said providing health care in shelters isn't just compassionate; it's evidence-based. "When care meets people where they are at, we prevent crises," she said at the news conference. "We build trust, and we contribute to healthier individuals and a stronger community." Program getting results: mental health association CEO Over the past fiscal year, the interprofessional team has provided more than 5,000 visits across the shelter sites, Sbrocca said. Physicians see an average of 200 unique patients per month. What's more, she said, there has been a reduction in emergency department use for issues that are being addressed on site in the shelters, and doctors are seeing an improvement in medication adherence. There have also been success stories, Sbrocca said. "We have attached nearly 200 people to primary care," she said. "We've achieved housing for individuals, and we have made meaningful steps forward in terms of wellness and recovery on an individual basis." Asked what the funding means to the program, Bondy told reporters it means "sustainability." "It means that we are going to be able to continue to provide services," she said. "We know we can future plan, and we can ensure that we have programs that are developed with our partners knowing that we're going to be able to continue to do the work that we're doing." Last month, the Windsor Essex By-Names Prioritized List for housing showed 899 households were experiencing some form of homelessness, of which 682 households, or 75.8 per cent, were experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness, according to data provided by the City of Windsor.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ontario announces funding for Windsor physicians providing care to the unhoused in shelters
The Ontario government has committed up to $3.8 million to a physician group in Windsor that provides health-care services to people in homeless shelters in the city and to some people who have housing but require support. The money has allowed Windsor Shelter Health Associates to expand from two physicians working a total of around nine hours a week to 11 physicians working six days a week, said medical director Jennifer Bondy. It's also allowed them to build a team of family physicians, addiction medicine physicians, palliative care physicians, an infectious disease physician and psychiatry, Bondy said. "I used to see a lot of wound care at the very beginning before we were funded in any way," Bondy told reporters at an event Wednesday announcing the funding, which she said began flowing at the start of 2024. "Now we are able to regularly see people for their continuous care needs like diabetes, for example. Or if they might have a primary psychiatric diagnosis, we can see them for their schizophrenia, for example, and really make a dent in the care delivery." Bondy began providing services to unhoused people in 2021, partly as a volunteer and partly while working for the Canadian Mental Health Association, she told CBC. New funding model Another physician joined a couple of years ago, she said. Then at the start of 2024, Bondy's service received recognition under a new provincial funding model called the Homeless Shelter Alternate Payment Plan, which does not require patients to roster with physicians and which compensates physicians both for their time and for the complexity of their patients' needs, she said. "We've been able to go from three half-day clinics a week to multiple half-day clinics across five different sites," she said. Shelter Health serves people at the Salvation Army Men's Emergency Shelter, the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4), the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, the Downtown Mission of Windsor, and Journey Home Hospice, according to a news release from the province. It also provides services to people who have housing but require support. Shelter Health secured Interprofessional Primary Care Team Funding through Ontario Health in the spring of 2024 to supplement the physician funding, Bondy said. That funding flows through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), she added. CMHA Windsor CEO Nicole Sbrocca said providing health care in shelters isn't just compassionate; it's evidence-based. "When care meets people where they are at, we prevent crises," she said at the news conference. "We build trust, and we contribute to healthier individuals and a stronger community." Program getting results: mental health association CEO Over the past fiscal year, the interprofessional team has provided more than 5,000 visits across the shelter sites, Sbrocca said. Physicians see an average of 200 unique patients per month. What's more, she said, there has been a reduction in emergency department use for issues that are being addressed on site in the shelters, and doctors are seeing an improvement in medication adherence. There have also been success stories, Sbrocca said. "We have attached nearly 200 people to primary care," she said. "We've achieved housing for individuals, and we have made meaningful steps forward in terms of wellness and recovery on an individual basis." Asked what the funding means to the program, Bondy told reporters it means "sustainability." "It means that we are going to be able to continue to provide services," she said. "We know we can future plan, and we can ensure that we have programs that are developed with our partners knowing that we're going to be able to continue to do the work that we're doing." Last month, the Windsor Essex By-Names Prioritized List for housing showed 899 households were experiencing some form of homelessness, of which 682 households, or 75.8 per cent, were experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness, according to data provided by the City of Windsor.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
116 affordable housing units purchased from P.E.I. rental market
Stephan Richard with the Community Housing Transformation Centre, Karen Brodeur with the Cooperative Housing Federation, P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, Shelly Muzika with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Pat O'Neill and Bill Campbell with Kings Square Non-Profit Housing Corporation are pictured in Charlottetown. (Source: Government of Prince Edward Island) The Prince Edward Island government says more than 100 affordable housing units have been purchased from the private rental market over the past year as part of a new program. The province partnered with three non-profit and co-operative housing organizations last year with the goal of increasing affordable housing options. The province is providing annual funding to the P.E.I. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, and Kings Square Non-Profit Housing Corporation. The Community Housing Expansion Pilot allows the organizations to purchase existing housing and plan construction for new units. 'By partnering with the community housing sector, we are addressing the critical need for housing solutions for Islanders caught in the 'missing middle'—those who earn too much for social housing but struggle with rising rental costs,' said Premier Rob Lantz in a provincial news release. 'These collaborations allow us to create sustainable, attainable housing options that bridge the gap, ensuring more Islanders can find a place to call home.' The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation notes housing is considered affordable if it costs 30 per cent or less of an annual income. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Global News
15-07-2025
- Health
- Global News
Nanaimo considers fencing city hall from overdose prevention site
The City of Nanaimo, B.C., is considering building a 1.8-metre-high fence to protect its staff from 'congregations' of people, violence and disorder associated with an overdose prevention site next to city hall. Staff proposing the $412,000 fence cite 'intimidation and harassment' of employees, particularly those working early or late, as well as damage to staff vehicles, fires near doorways and building perimeters, human waste, and a general deterioration of the site. The plans are outlined in a staff report which says a zoning variance will also be needed to build the 'robust decorative, wrought iron' fence 60 centimetres taller than the permitted 1.2 metres. The report was written in advance of a council committee meeting on Wednesday to approve the project and funding. Mayor Leonard Krog said in an interview Monday that the municipality had a legal obligation to protect its staff and property, and the final costs may be less or more than the recommended budget. Story continues below advertisement 'We can't fence off everybody's private property,' he said. 'We can't control every street, but we do have a duty to our employees, which is legal and present and very clear. This report represents the views of our staff, their feelings, and more importantly, and sadly, their fears and the experience that they have had in the last few years, as we've seen the situation in our streets become the challenge that it is.' City hall and its service and resource centre, or SARC, are near the overdose prevention site funded by Island Health and operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association. It was relocated to Albert Street, next to city hall, in December 2022. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Since this relocation, the city has experienced a significant increase in disorder around city hall and SARC,' the report says. 'Disorderly behaviour is common both during and outside the facility's hours of operation. When closed, individuals frequently congregate in the parking lots, gardens, and shaded areas around city hall and SARC, leading to considerable safety and operational challenges.' Story continues below advertisement The report says there are 'congregations of 20 to 30+ individuals during early morning and evening hours.' The document recommending the fence, which council has yet to approve, says the area is a 'frequent location for congregations, loitering, violence, and property related concerns, including damage to and theft from staff vehicles, fires, litter, vandalism, and safety risks,' especially for staff accessing the resource centre. It says the overdose prevention site serves a 'highly vulnerable and marginalized population' with many living in extreme poverty, with limited access to health care and support services. It also notes that 'installing fencing around a civic facility may be perceived by some members of the public as a symbol of exclusion, especially in the context of visible homelessness and public disorder in surrounding areas.' A public safety group said the plans should be a 'wake-up call' for provincial and federal leaders to protect 'everyday citizens from those causing mayhem, havoc and violence' on the streets of downtown. Kevan Shaw, vice-president of the Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association, said it was 'horrible, disgusting and sad' that city employees felt scared to come to work, adding that many downtown residents and business owners felt the same. Krog says the situation around city hall was not as 'awful' as the association suggested, but added that he is 'very conscious' of the problems facing downtown. Story continues below advertisement He said he agreed that higher levels of government should act 'not only swiftly, but with far more substance than they have to date.' Krog said he was 'sympathetic' to the frustrations of the association, adding that the city has hired 12 new community safety officers and 15 new RCMP officers during the past five years, with more coming in this year's budget. He said that while the cost of the fencing may be 'offensive' to some, it is unfair to accuse the municipality of leaving residents and business to fend for themselves. 'When you're talking about the amount of area that has to be covered with fencing, I don't think you'll find the cost is extraordinary in comparison to fencing any other area with a fence that would actually be secure when you're allowing for the kind of gating that's necessary.'
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Single overflow shelter bed can cost Halton Region $42K a year
Housing in Halton isn't cheap and that's particularly true when it comes to housing the unhoused. At the June 18 meeting of regional council, representatives received the Comprehensive Housing Strategy for 2025 to 2035. The report detailed the effect of the ongoing homelessness crisis in Halton and the costs associated with providing shelter. A single overflow shelter bed costs Halton Region $3,500 per month according to the report. Rory Nisan, Burlington regional councillor, said your average home in the community is significantly less expensive than what they pay to provide overflow emergency shelter spaces. 'That's a $3,500 investment for every person per month — that is over $42,000 a year,' said Nisan. '$3,500 a month, is more than the cost of an average two-bedroom apartment in Burlington, never mind a bachelor. A two-bedroom in Burlington is $2,500,' said Nisan. Halton Region said their emergency shelter service currently operates 40 per cent above capacity. To make up for the lack of space, people are placed in hotel rooms, which results in the significantly higher cost to house them. According to the region, everyone seeking a shelter space in Halton will be accommodated. Alex Sarchuk, commissioner, social and community services at the region, said the goal is always to move people out of the emergency spaces and into less expensive options. 'Homelessness intervention and shelter supports are a more costly option and they're not a suitable long-term option as well. So, our housing first strategy is really focused around the shortest possible duration in emergency shelter environments and moving into more supportive and secure housing,' said Sarchuk. A housing first response to homelessness is one that prioritizes getting a person into a home. After the person is housed, other issues like substance abuse or mental health struggles can be addressed. Halton also provides pre-employment supports, training, skill development and even job placement. Anyone within Halton looking for direct assistance with homelessness or who wants to refer someone in need is encouraged to call 311 or email outreach@ . There's also the Canadian Mental Health Association crisis outreach and support team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for short-term crisis support by calling 1-877-825-9011 . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
