Bridge Housing

Exhibition Lands – Bridge Housing Good Neighbour Plan

Homeward Trust Edmonton

Our Commitment:

Homeward Trust is dedicated to making a positive impact in the neighbourhoods where bridge housing is located. To achieve this, Homeward Trust collaborates with community agencies that specialize in helping people access housing and develop the skills necessary to lead better lives. These services include providing meals, accommodation, hygiene facilities, health services, social support, and other personalized wraparound services that are tailored to the needs of the residents.

Homeward Trust and the community agencies that operate bridge housing are committed to developing and maintaining positive community relations within the surrounding neighbourhood. One of the ways we and our partners demonstrate this commitment is through a Good Neighbour Plan. The Good Neighbor Plan outlines how Homeward Trust and the Operator will engage with the community to be good neighbours, maintain open and productive communication, and resolve issues.

We share a desire to:

• Create a peaceful and safe neighbourhood.
• Ensure a clean and attractive community.
• Ensure all individuals have a right to housing, privacy, and security.
• Share respectful, open, and honest communication; and
• Help each other address concerns and solve problems.

Commitments and Responsibilities:

Homeward Trust and the Operator’s commitment to being a good neighbour involves:

• Communication with the community
• Property maintenance and cleanliness
• Staff training and staffing levels
• Providing community members with simple and direct access to the issue resolution process
• Ensuring there are regular communication channels back to the community related to the operation of the site and the Good Neighbour Plan
• Exploring opportunities to build relationships and stay connected with the community, including Community Leagues
• Maintaining positive relationships with community partners, including Edmonton Police Services

Neighbouring residents, businesses, Community Leagues, and organizations’ commitment to being a good neighbour involves:

• Communication with the Operator
• Accessing the issue resolution process and working directly with the Operator if issues arise.

Program Standards:

Homeward Trust selects community service agencies to operate bridge housing through an open procurement process, and Homeward Trust also operates sites (temporarily and permanently). Operators must follow standards to ensure the program is run effectively, safely, and securely using evidence-based approaches. This includes abiding by legislative requirements, bylaws, Homeward Trust’s policies and standards, and the description of how operators provide support and services as approved as part of their contract.

As part of the standards, support services are comprehensive, resident/tenant-centered, voluntary, and effectively foster residents/tenants’ housing stability and independence. This includes both onsite programs and in-reached services such as medical, addictions, and mental health supports or other programming that supports the individual in finding housing. These supports include:

• Case Management​ with a recovery focus (i.e., belief that people can achieve their goals)
• 24/7 Tenancy Management​
• Independent Living Skills
• Medication Support ​
• Crisis Services

Standards include information on how people access and exit the Jockey Dorms site (includes guests). There is coordinated access and consistent referral, intake, and exit procedures that reflect the Housing First philosophy, are low barriers for residents/tenants, and facilitate access to the interim or bridge housing site and finding permanent housing.

The property management standards ensure that the building is attractive, clean (inside and outside) and safe both for the residents and the surrounding community.

Residents:

Homeward Trust and the Operator undertake an intake process to ensure residents are a good match for bridge housing and meet ​the following criteria:

• Have agreed to and signed the Bridge Housing Programming Agreement which describes how a person accesses the services on site and how they contribute to an environment that ensures the safety of all.
• Have a housing plan, which includes a safety and care plan.
• Confirm they are willing to engage with program staff to meet goals in their housing plan.
• Can be expected to be housed rapidly (range of 30-90 days)

Issue Resolution:

If there is an emergency, please contact 911. Emergencies include risk/ harm to life or property.

For all non-emergency issues, individuals may reach out to the bridge housing Operator’s Community Contact. The Community Contact is the first point of contact for sharing any concerns and feedback. In most cases, this individual will be able to resolve issues. Homeward Trust is operating the site in the interim until a community agency is contracted. Therefore, the community contact is from Homeward Trust.

Community Contact: ​587-772-4063​

The process is described below:

1. 1. Phone or email the Community Contact
   2. The Community Contact will respond within 24 hours of receiving the inquiry or the first business day after receiving an inquiry. Timelines may be expedited if the issue is considered urgent.
   3. If the feedback is related to a concern, it is expected that this be investigated and resolved within 7 business days. If this timeframe is not possible, the site Operator will communicate an anticipated time frame for resolution.
   4. The site Operator will provide a written summary of how the concern was resolved to the individual who shared the concern and Homeward Trust.
   5. When appropriate, the person sharing a concern will be provided with any additional follow-up measures.

Homeward Trust’s Issue Resolution Process:

If the Operator’s Community Contact is unable to resolve a concern or an individual feels it is necessary to escalate the concern, the individual will have the opportunity to follow the Homeward Trust Issue Resolution Process.

As part of this process, the concern and the response to the concern will be recorded and addressed in the spirit of continuous quality improvement. If Homeward Trust receives notification of issues directly and not through the community contact, Homeward Trust will facilitate connections to the Operator to resolve the matter if appropriate (this applies when there is an operator contracted as Homeward Trust is the temporary operator.)

The steps of the Issue Resolution Process are described below:

1) The individual will submit their issue to Homeward Trust’s Quality Assurance process. Concerns can be submitted in writing or verbally to the main contact provided above.

2) Homeward Trust will reply within two business days to confirm that the concern has been received and is being investigated. If the issue is urgent, the individual with the complaint will be encouraged to contact emergency services. An urgent situation is something that involves risk or harm to life or property.

3) Homeward Trust will review and investigate the concern and reply to the complainant within 7 business days* to either:

• Request more information; or
• Provide the complainant with an update, including how it has been, is being, or will be resolved.

*The 7-day timeframe allows time to investigate and put in measures to address the issue. As indicated in step 2, the operator responds to an issue within 2 days and will make any immediate steps to address the issue ASAP.

Please note that the timeframes outlined in the above process may be exceeded if:

• There is an agreement with the person sharing the concern; or
• A significant delay cannot be avoided either because of a delay or inaction by the person making the complaint or a requirement to engage other parties or another mechanism, process, or system to resolve the concern.

Homeward Trust respects that people with concerns have the right to:

• Have their views heard, respected, and considered.
• Request a review of a decision affecting them.
• Access advocacy and support during the Issue Resolution Process.
• Receive information about how and why a decision was made.
• Respond to the reasons for a decision and, where possible, the information used to make that decision.

Individuals raising issues are encouraged to:

• Share the issue as promptly as possible after the behaviour, activity, or observation they are concerned about is identified.
• Provide information to support their concern, including any new or additional information they become aware of
• Provide contact information.
• Share concerns in a respectful manner.
• Respect the confidentiality of an individual’s personal information, and the obligation of Homeward Trust to protect that confidentiality.
• Act in good faith during the process

The Issue Resolution Process Applies To:

• Appearance of a bridge housing site
• Behaviour or activities of tenants/residents of a bridge housing site
• Behaviour or activities of the staff of a bridge housing site
• Anything that contravenes positive community relationships and neighbourhood enjoyment.
• Other infractions that contravene Homeward Trust’s policies, standards, and Good Neighbour Plan

Accordingly, the following types of issues are either outside of Homeward Trust or the Operator’s authority or, for legal reasons, cannot be addressed through the Issue Resolution Process:

• Concerns about areas that are set out in legislation or regulation and are beyond Homeward Trust and Operator’s authorities.
• Complaints about events that are before the court or other legal proceedings.

Sandy’s Place Hotel – Bridge Housing Good Neighbour Plan

Boyle Street Community Services

Bridge Housing: Temporary Accommodations:

Sandy’s Place has the capacity to temporarily house people in up to 56 units while they access support services, including cultural support, 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. 

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 First 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 Addictions Support, Mental Health and Counseling, Healthcare Services, as well as 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 First 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.

Good Neighbor Commitment:

Sandy’s Place is committed to being a good neighbour and working with the surrounding neighbourhood to share information, address issues and explore opportunities to give back to the community.

Donations:

For any questions or concerns regarding donations, please contact: Laurel McCalla (she/her), Director of Development, LmcCalla@boylestreet.org, 587-338-7981

Volunteering:

Volunteer forms can be located at www.boylestreet.org/volunteer

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)

Who to Contact:

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. Please contact the Bridge Housing Manager at 780-860-6142 or the Director of Services at 780-224-8634. Every neighbour’s concern is escalated to the attention of the Executive Director, and a follow-up with the neighbour will occur within two business days. As an alternative, the Chief Programs Officer at Homeward Trust can be reached at [780-405-3756].