Pilot Project Brings In-House Health Care to Shelters
Pictured above is Alexander Zsager, a homeless advocate who took the mic to share his experiences in shelters trying to receive medical assistance.
By: June Li
For those experiencing homelessness, accessing medical help can often be a challenge. From long wait times to expensive medical prescriptions, there is a long list of obstacles the homeless face when seeking medical assistance. Today, at the New Hope Shelter in Leslieville, Mayor John Tory alongside Minister Hoskins and other colleagues announced that they are piloting a new project that provides medical and health services in shelters. Residents will no longer have to leave the shelter to look for medical aid; rather these services will now be readily available in the shelter itself. Five new shelters across the City of Toronto will pilot this new project, with one of them being the New Hope Shelter.
Many shelter users who access traditional health services face a lot of stigma, but this new pilot program hopes to give Toronto’s most vulnerable members the proper care they deserve with dignity. “We need to reimagine the way we think of health care. We need to find better ways to target people who have the highest health care needs, and unfortunately, those are often the people who fall through the cracks,” says Minister Hoskins, “There’s no chronic disease, no health condition that impacts life expectancy as severely as homelessness does”. This pilot project will provide essential health services to shelter residents such as wound care, mental health supports and chronic disease management.
From left to right: Minister Peter Milcyzn, Mayor John Tory, Minister Eric Hoskins, MPP Arthur Potts, City Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon and City Councilor Paula Flecther.
“People tell me about their health care issues when I visit shelters,” Mayor John Tory says, “They tell me that they don’t have access to the support they need, making it hard to move out and get into permanent housing”. To combat this, Mayor John Tory and Minister Hoskins announced that the Ontario Government will be funding 244 new supportive housing units in Toronto for those battling addiction, living with mental illness and those who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless.
The press conference emphasized on the steps we can take as a community to make a real difference in the lives of people. Supportive housing and access to medical aid will give those most vulnerable, the opportunity to live a full, healthy and productive life. “A good and safe place to call home is integral for anyone to have a productive life. What we are doing today is setting the path to permanent and stable housing,” says Minister Milczyn. When we rethink about how we serve those most vulnerable and begin to invest in more supportive housing, we can move forward in helping end chronic homelessness.