Homelessness and mental health project launched

http://monctonhomelessness.org/
Greater Moncton will be one of five cities in Canada involved in a five-year research demonstration project on homelessness and mental illness. Earlier this year, the federal government allocated $110 million to the Mental Health Commission of Canada to find ways to help the growing number of homeless people who have a mental illness. Research will also be carried out in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.

Former Moncton-Dieppe-Riverview MP Claudette Bradshaw has been hired as Director for the Moncton component of the project. Paula Goering, head of the research team for the Commission, and Sam Tsemberis, founder of the Pathways to Housing project in New York, were in the city in early September for the launch.


The project will be modelled on Pathways to Housing (http://www.pathwaystohousing.org/) as well as the Toronto-based Streets to Homes (www.toronto.ca/housing/about-streets-homes.htm), a program endorsed by Toronto City Council in partnership with contracted community-based service providers. Both are based on a “housing first” approach, rather than expecting people to deal with their mental health and/or addictions issues before being able to access housing.

In Greater Moncton, the project team of researchers will work closely with agencies that work with the chronically homeless in order to identify potential participants for the project.