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By: Jasmine Salazar

PSH Profile: Iris Court

Community members living with a severe mental illness like schizophrenia are at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness. Some behaviours and symptoms can threaten a person’s ability to live independently or maintain housing if they are not able to access support to manage them. For these individuals, permanent supportive housing provides what they need to have a safe and supported place to call home.

“You don’t do well if you don’t have your basic needs met—period. It starts with having a home and a roof over your head,” explains Rubyann Rice, Provincial Executive Director at Schizophrenia Society of Alberta. “With schizophrenia, having a safe and secure place is absolutely critical.”

The Schizophrenia Society of Alberta (SSA), in partnership with Homeward Trust, operates Iris Court, a permanent supportive housing facility in southeast Edmonton. Iris Court provides services within a congregate housing environment for people living with schizophrenia and other severe mental illness with a history or risk of housing instability.

Recovery is at the core of permanent supportive housing. On-site service offerings contribute to an individual’s overall health and well-being, with support staff available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Other services offered on-site include three meals a day and snacks, fully furnished rooms, laundry facilities, medication monitoring and assistance with daily living, and opportunities to participate in a variety of support services, recreational activities, and community service referrals. 

Residents rely on the housing and supports provided by the SSA, but getting involved in and being a part of the broader community is vital for recovery from severe mental illness. In fact, neighbourhood integration is a key contributor to the success of any permanent supportive housing program. Homeward Trust, through its funding and oversight role for permanent supportive housing in Edmonton, requires operators to meet “good neighbour” expectations, which are set out in the development stage and include processes to engage the community to collectively address concerns. 

Iris Court prides itself on the positive interactions it has had with its neighbours, thanks to transparency and deliberate community consultations. 

When Bonnie Doon was selected as the location for the permanent supportive housing project, Rice had numerous conversations with residents, as well as a three-hour community meeting, which was open to the public, to answer any questions or concerns. 

“We informed them of our intentions, and we were completely transparent with them—transparency is huge,” she says. “We had a psychiatrist and a person living with the illness at the meeting to answer any questions. By the end of the meeting, the mood changed. We turned a corner.” 

At that meeting, Iris Court collaborated with community residents to develop a Good Neighbour Agreement which Iris Court adheres to today. 

“It’s still live—it can be adapted anytime based on issues that come up in the community,” she says. 

As part of that agreement, Iris Court offers an open-door policy for any concerns or complaints. 

Iris Court residents are active participants in their community and often engage in local community events, utilize services and businesses in the area, and help their neighbours. The community also actively engages with the residents and invites them to be a part of important community decisions. Recently, representatives from Iris Court were invited to participate in a consultation for a renewable energy project, adds Trueman Macdonald, Director of Housing at Schizophrenia Society of Alberta. 

“[Our residents] want to be a part of the community,” he reflects. “They are protective of their home, their community.”