Bridge Housing

Bridge Housing is a short-term, continuous stay accommodation that helps people ‘bridge’ the gap from homelessness to permanent housing. Housing outreach workers support individuals with meeting basic needs, health and wellness support, accessing income support, and obtaining identification, all while working to help them secure permanent housing as rapidly as possible.  Residents stay for an average of 21 to 90 days before moving on to housing that works for them. Housing Support teams, Program Support Workers, or Housing Support Workers also assist with coordinating meetings with property owners to facilitate viewings and connect community members to housing resources such as damage deposits and furniture. These supports have been an integral part of nearly 600 individuals moving into stable, long-term housing.

Bridge Housing in Edmonton

Referrals and Qualifying for Bridge Housing

Agency screening partners in Homeward Trust’s Coordinated Access system can refer people seeking housing support and enrolled on the By Name List to Bridge Housing.
The Bridge Housing model requires the referring agency to also commit to providing supports to the individual while they stay in Bridge Housing to action their housing plan.
To qualify for Bridge Housing, referring agencies ensure the individual can:
  • live independently and are 18 years of age or older;
  • commit to actively work on a housing plan with a Housing Outreach Worker.

Good Neighbour Commitment

This commitment includes a written plan to outline a formal mechanism for reporting issues or concerns and property management standards. It also includes commitments:
  • for residents of Bridge Housing to commit to being a good neighbour
  • for the Bridge Housing operator to work with community members to address concerns should they arise and to maintain a well-maintained property and respectful community environment
 Bridge housing is part of the solution to build stronger communities by providing housing for unhoused people often living in public spaces, encampments or within the shelter and emergency services system. It helps residents transition to stability and contribute to their community.

Current Bridge Housing Good Neighbour Commitments:

(Click on the arrow to see details) 

Sandy's Place

Sandy’s Place Hotel – Bridge Housing Good Neighbour Statement of Operations

We are committed to listening to our neighbours, building strong relationships, and working together to find mutually agreeable solutions. We take any concerns raised by the community, neighbours or businesses very seriously and always endeavour to find mutually agreeable solutions. 

Who to contact: 

Boyle Street Community Services

Community Contact name: Rychele Cole

Contact information: RCole@boylestreet.org

Sandy’s Place has the capacity to temporarily house people in up to 56 units while they access support services, including cultural supports, and work toward permanent housing or achieve other client-centred goals.

Location: Boyle Street Community Services has leased the Sandy’s Place Hotel with funding support from Homeward Trust. 

Security and Cleanliness:

Boyle Street Community Services recognizes that community members may have questions and concerns. In response, Boyle Street Community Services is working with the City of Edmonton to be as proactive as possible and implement enhanced safety and security measures:

    • Boyle Street Community Services staff will continually monitor the internal and external environment around the location and manage security on site.
    • Sandy’s Place has active relationships with Edmonton Police Services for the purpose of contributing to site and community safety.
    • The City of Edmonton’s Neighborhood Empowerment Team is available to support businesses and community members as needed. (Contact: NET@Edmonton.ca)

Service Standards:

  • Low-barrier access to safe, affordable, and supported temporary accommodation.
  • Sandy’s Place offers two different housing options: Bridge Housing and Emergency Housing.
    • Bridge Housing requires participants to be connected to a Housing Supports team through Homeward Trust.
    • Emergency Housing requires individuals to be referred by some other form of community outreach support.
  • Emergency Housing referrals are for individuals who are in urgent need of housing assistance, such as those who are waiting for addiction treatment support, fleeing domestic violence, pregnant, or unhoused individuals who require immediate healthcare treatment for acute physical health conditions that cannot be treated in long-term hospital stays. Emergency Housing may also take referrals for other, short-term (less than 30 days) stays to stabilize and divert individuals to other forms of support.
  • On-site drop-in services include Addiction Support, Mental Health and Counseling, Healthcare Services, and cultural support. Volunteering and Life-skill Activity opportunities are also available.
  • Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are served door-to-door to each tenant. Further, all tenants are encouraged to supplement their daily food with their own choices using their resources. A community pantry is also available to supplement the meals provided on-site with the main intent to build agency and life skills.
  • Room amenities include TV, room phone, microwave, mini fridge, coffee service, and on-site laundry.
  • Tenants are at least 18 years of age, supported by a housing worker through Homeward Trust’s Housing Supports program, and have the life skills necessary to live independently or otherwise have access to the appropriate supports that can follow them into permanent housing.
  • The referral process is facilitated by Coordinated Access which is a process that helps communities provide consistent and streamlined access to housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
  • Intake procedures at Sandy’s Place are comprehensive and strive to assess fit based on an individual’s health, past housing history, future goals, and more.
  • Transportation to the site can be facilitated by program staff connected to tenants utilizing Sandy’s Place. In the instance of an eviction, transportation away from the site is also facilitated by program staff.
  • Tenants are required to agree to house rules and a service agreement which contains items related to safety and programming expectations. No personal visitors or outside guests of tenants are permitted at Sandy’s Place at this time.
  • Evictions may be actioned for tenants who do not adhere to the house rules and programming expectations.
  • 24/7 tactical security responds to incidents inside the hotel and conducts hourly exterior patrols. Safety issues identified within the perimeter of the site are responded to in a timely and sensitive manner.
  • Program staff are trained to utilize non-violent de-escalation methods and to provide trauma-informed, client-centred support through emerging situations as needed.
  • Actively collaborating with Coordinated Access, Alberta Health Services, Food Bank of Edmonton, Niginan Housing Ventures, and Pathways to Housing to provide high-quality services to individuals accessing Sandy’s Place.

If you are interested in supporting Boyle Street Community Services, please follow the links below: 

Donations: boylestreet.org/give

Volunteering: boylestreet.org/volunteer

Bridge Housing Overview 

Click here to view the data table

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We recognize we are gathered, in collaboration and with joint purpose, on Treaty 6 territory. This territory is the traditional home and gathering place for diverse Indigenous Peoples. The nêhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux/Ojibwe), Nakota Isga (Nakota Sioux), Inuit, and Métis, among many others cared for this land since time immemorial and continue to steward it today. As visitors in this territory, we honour the importance of the Treaty and our responsibility to these communities. Only in partnership can we create the changes necessary to end homelessness. It is vital we meaningfully engage and partner with Indigenous People and communities in this work while recognizing and addressing the conditions brought forth by colonialism. Displacement from traditional homelands, systemic racism, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous People in child welfare, correctional systems, and homelessness are responsibilities we all share.