$300K for housing with on-site mental health, addictions support in Waterloo region

A program to help people with mental health and addictions challenges who are risk of becoming homeless will double its capacity thanks to some new funding. 

This week, the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and Region of Waterloo pledged $306,240 to go to the supportive housing project.

"We're a firm believer that if you bring the services to people's homes, they're more likely to use them and succeed while using them," said Mina-Fayez Bahgat, manager of Waterloo Region Housing.

In Kitchener, the project is in an affordable housing apartment building. House of Friendship and Thresholds provide the on-site services.

Those living in the complex will receive addictions and mental health services and work on building life skills. Staff will also host community events with other residents living in the housing complex that are not in the program to make "meaningful connections" and "have a sense of belonging," Bahgat said.

Program offered in Kitchener, Cambridge

The project was first launched last year by Waterloo Region Housing and the Waterloo Wellington LHIN to support people at risk for eviction or homelessness.

Currently there are 16 people who use this program in two locations, one in Kitchener and the other in Cambridge.

​To identify people who can use this program, there are a number of lists at several local organizations of people who have high needs for supportive housing.

Holt Sivak, the executive director at Thresholds, said people can express their interest through the local agencies.

And once they have moved in, they can arrange to meet with staff from either House of Friendship or Thresholds when they are ready to address their challenges.

24/7 secured entrance

To get inside the building, there is a lobby with a virtual concierge. The resident or a visitor can press a button and a security officer is connected to the person via a monitor.

The officer will ask a number of questions prior to opening the door.

"That way, everybody can feel comfortable that the people they invite here are the people they want here," Bahgat said.

It also reduces needs for staffing a front lobby with a person at all times. Cameras located in the lobby entrance also allows for officers to call for emergency services if they notice a person in distress.

Community safety

There are ongoing conversations in communities with regards to where support for people with drug use challenges should be located.

Supervised injection sites have been a hot topic, especially in Cambridge where there have been problems with discarded needles found in public spaces such as parks.

Neufeld and Sivak said the supportive housing program is good for the whole community.

"By having staff engaged with them, it reduces any risk to the community because we have staff, who are connecting with these people who are asking for help in addressing their illness," Sivak said.

"These are folks who want to address their issues. They've come forward and said I want to get my life on track."