Housing first and supportive living

I hope everyone caught Alison Sandor's piece on the 10th anniversary of St. Andrew's Residence.

It's a great story that illustrates why any housing first strategy has to have a supportive living component.

Housing First is a great slogan. It's easy to understand and to rally behind. But folks, the majority of people who are living on the streets or living in a shelter are homeless for a lot of complex reasons. Yes, there are some men and women who need the use of a shelter bed for a couple of days. They have a job but are in between paycheques or have no one to live with for a few days while they waited to take possession of their new apartment. These people are capable of independent living but have fallen on hard times. It's likely temporary but we're here for those people.

There is another significant group of men and women who are more than temporarily out of a home. They suffer from mental illness, they struggle with addictions, they don't have the basic life skills you and I take for granted. They need regular medical care and support.

Not only does Shepherds of Good Hope provide them with a bed, but when they're ready, we move them to supportive housing facilities like St. Andrew's. They get their own apartment. They can cook for themselves. They're part of the tenants association. Maybe they've joined the reading club or maybe they have a green thumb and can work some magic in the garden.

Staff from Shepherds of Good Hope are on site 24/7 if the resident need help. And often, they do. That's what's called supportive living.

Shepherds of Good Hope also has a Housing First complex. Brigid's Place is home to 11 women who came from street life. Many of them weren't in shelter system. But again, we do more than house them. The women have access to a multitude of support services and activities. And we allow them to stay there as long as needed. If one day, they want to try more independent living, we're there to give them that support.

As the discussion continues about Housing First strategies, I hope the debate will also include the support services many of these vulnerable men and women need.