World Homeless Day – Ottawa Booth Centre

Every client supported by The Salvation Army has their own set of specific needs and challenges. Tania Lyons, a Special Care Unit caseworker in the Men’s Special Care Unit at the Ottawa Booth Centre, knows that well.

The unit has a team of personal support workers, caseworkers and nurses who work with clients that are dealing with homelessness or have recently been released from a hospital.

“We help stabilize clients with mental health concerns, physical ailments and addiction,” Tania says.

When a new client arrives to the Special Care Unit, their nursing team meets with the client first to determine their physical health needs.

“I always like to wait to let them settle, then I’ll do my assessment to see what their needs are and then we as a team come up with a care plan for each individual based on their needs,” Tania says.

Clients have access to a personal support worker who can dispense medication, three healthy meals a day, and an activity room to watch television or relax.

Tania works to find housing solutions for clients, either in supportive housing or in housing provided by the City of Ottawa.

“The most important part of this service is that we don’t have clients going right from the hospital to the street,” she says.

“I find it very rewarding to watch them come in at the lowest of lows and then we slowly bring up their self-worth, their self-esteem and their self-confidence.”

The Ottawa Booth Centre is ‘More than a shelter.’