SGH - Shelter System : Stages 1 - 6

Since moving to 230 Murray in February of 1999, the Emergency Men’s Shelter has been a beehive of activity. The Men’s Shelter has 94 beds, with an overflow capacity of 53. The average number of men in the shelter every night is 95. The new building boasts 15 individual rooms with 4-6 beds in each room. The shelter provides the men with more privacy and continues to satisfy basic needs, such as hot meals, showers, laundry services, and medication management. The shelter also has a TV room with a ping pong table and a designated smoking area.

Medical Professionals such as nurses and physicians, a dentist, and mental health professionals serve and advocate for clients and act as a resource for the staff. The shelter also has assessment workers on staff who identify clients’ needs (i.e. housing) and who liaise with social service agencies in order to advocate for the clients. As a result, the men tend to move more quickly through the shelter system to a more permanent living arrangement.

Hope Recovery

230 Murray, Tel.: 241-4303

Hope Recovery offers chronic street alcoholics and/or drug addicts a safe place to be. It is also an overflow for the Ottawa Detox Centre. Recovery has beds for both men and women, and provides for basic needs such as hot meals, hygiene, laundry services and management of medication. Health care professionals visit the program frequently to ensure that clients’ medical needs are met.

Recovery also provides a stage 3 & 4 program for clients who require a 60 day period of sobriety before entering a longer term recovery program. Six men’s and 2 women’s beds are available for these clients.

In keeping with Recovery’s growth, the Shepherds of Good Hope has received funding to accommodate a new harm reduction initiative. Chronic, heavy drinkers will be encouraged to stay in, and will be allowed to drink in a monitored setting, out of the elements and dangers of the street. This Program provides beds for 8 men and 2 women.

SIX STAGES TO RECOVERY

HOPE RECOVERY SHELTER:

A  Harm Reduction Shelter

 Hope Recovery Shelter consists of six stages.  It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and offers a variety of services.

 OUR SERVICES

• Coordinate health care

• Crisis Intervention

• Laundry & shower facilities

• Social Services

• Advocacy 

• Housing referrals

• Social activities and community building

• In-house medical care including on-site nursing

• Short and long term respite for people in crisis.

• Coordinated mental health care

• Coordinated addiction services

• On-site dental care

• Caring and concerned staff

 DEFINING HARM REDUCTION

Harm is defined as a condition leading to an increase in adverse impacts on an individual or community arising from one or more of the following: physical/ mental illness or trauma, social misery, economic misfortune, the effects of violence, or chronic substance abuse.  Harm reduction is the process by which innovative options are offered and encouraged in order to lessen harm.

 STAGES OF RECOVERY

 The first four stages of Hope Recovery are open to both men and women.  Each stage incorporates aspects of the Stages of Change (Prochaska,  DiClemente and Norcross).

• the person agrees to refrain from using all drugs

• the person must have an established care plan which has already been implemented

• the person may leave the premises after being in the Assessment Stage first.

• Stage 4 people are usually waiting to get in a program of some kind.

This is a pre-treatment stage and is preparing the client for treatment along with developing his/her individual plans and  his/her group interaction.

Stage operated informally within the Shelter for several years but in the last year has become more formal and structured.

(Preparation, Action, Maintenance)

STAGE 5

• Provides 74 beds for homeless adult males.

• Stage 5 has been in operation for 17 years

(Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, relapse)

Homeless Persons Not Using Shelters:

• 63% reported problems due to current or past alcohol abuse

• 67% reported problems due to current or past drug use

• 68% reported using a substance once a week to daily use

• 53% identified with a diagnosable mental health problem

• 50% reported being homeless 2-5 times in their past experience.

Homeless Adult Men Using Shelters:

• 48% reported problems due to current or past alcohol use

• 42% reported problems due to current or past drug use

• 48% reported using a substance once week  to daily use

• 60% identified with a diagnosable mental health problem

• 56% reported being homeless 2-5 times in their past experience.

Hope Outreach is an emergency shelter for men and women who are deemed "hard to serve" and who are barred from other shelters. Hope Outreach has the potential to comfortably house 30 people.

Within this 24 hour run shelter, a supportive group of staff and volunteers work 365 days a year to meet the basic needs of clients and to instil in them a sense of dignity, worth and self-confidence. Most of the clients suffer from chronic mental illness. Therefore independent living is difficult for some and impossible for others.

Staff work in partnership with other agencies to establish or renew links to medical, psychiatric and other supportive services. Agencies such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Assertive Community Treatment Team are active participants in the treatment plans of clients, and Nurses and Outreach Workers are frequent visitors to the shelter. It is a truly unique place which provides experiences not to be found anywhere else.

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SYSTEM

This network of residences is designed to meet the diverse support and supervision needs of its tenants. It includes Hope Community,

Hope Discovery, 275 King Edward, 380 St. Patrick, 256 King Edward-3rd Floor, 78-80 Nelson.

Hope Community

275 King Edward

Tel.: 789-0733

This location was established in 1989 and offers 52 units in three houses to people with mental illness issues. One house is reserved for women. The remaining two are co-gender. The program is staffed 24 hours a day and offers support to its residents by way of medication and money management, and basic life skills training. Many of these men and women have lived in shelters. At Hope Community they enjoy the independence of a privately rented room, while benefiting from the security and social experience of life in a community. Residents are responsible for maintaining their own rooms and for preparing their own meals. They also assist with the general upkeep of shared living spaces.

Hope Discovery

232 Cumberland

Tel.: 562-1453

This location was established in 1990 and offers 45 rental units to people committed to maintaining sobriety. Rooms are private while lounges and kitchen facilities are shared. This program offers a more independent lifestyle with limited staff supervision. The primary role of staff here is to make referrals for the residents needing them. Hope Discovery is a clean, safe, sober environment for men and women making the difficult transition to main-stream living.

256 King Edward

3rd Floor, Tel.: 562-7845

This location opened in October ‘99 and offers 35 rental units to people diagnosed with a serious mental illness. These residents would be at risk of homelessness because of their illness. The Program is staffed 24 hours a day and provides the same emotional and practical support as Hope Community, with additional support from outside, agencies (i.e. Causeway, ROH Outreach).

•  35 units (wheelchair accessible)

• shared common area, kitchen and washrooms
  
  

• furnished, including fridge
  
  

•  laundry facilities
  
  

•  24 hour staff supervision & support
  
  

•  medication  management and money management (budgeting))
  
  

• Trusteeship available

on-site support includes:

• Causeway/ Occupational Therapist, Recreologist
  
  

• Residential Support Worker
  
  

• outside support includes: 

• access to R.O.H. Outreach Nurse and Sandy Hill Community Health Centre Nurses
  
  

380 St. Patrick

Tel.: 562-3854

This location opened in November ‘99 and offers 12 rental units. The goal here is to serve people who have acquired a sense of independence. Very minimal supervision is required. Staff are avail-able on an as-needed basis to offer support or to make referrals.

78-80 Nelson

This location opened in February, 2000. It provides 12 rental units - 6 for men and 6 for women. Staff are available here on an as-needed basis.

•  12 units  (6 male/ 6 female)
  
  

• shared common area, kitchen and washrooms
  
  

• furnished, including fridge
  
  

• laundry facilities
  
  

• medication  management and money management (budgeting)
  
  

• approximately 2 hours daily of on-site support
  
  

• Access to Residential Support Worker
  
  

Rent:  $325 G.W.A.             $414 O.D.S.P