Journey Out of Homelessness (P3)
By: Brandon Kelm
This process is also about setting participants up with the necessities involved in making that space a HOME
If you require help, please contact our Coordinated Access Team, details HERE.
Part Three: Move-In Day
At this point in the journey out of homelessness a considerable amount of progress has already been made; however, being housed in the Housing First program isn’t just about securing documentation, income, and an apartment. This process is also about setting participants up with the necessities involved in making that space a HOME.
For someone to go from living in a tent outdoors, a shelter, or even a friend’s couch, to living in their own home with their own bed and furnishings is a world of difference, and it should feel like going HOME. That is the goal. It is about finding a suitable place – four walls and a roof – but it is also about making sure that when the individual moves in they feel like they are in a safe place, that they belong.
The keys to opening a whole new world. A call from Find to deliver the necessities of a HOME.
Move-in day is a busy day, one that usually begins with a phone call from Find to confirm what time their very own new-to-them furniture will be delivered. Internet/cable/phone service they can access any time will also be hooked up that day. Entertainment and connectivity on demand, the ability to communicate and engage with the world, and from the comfort of a space that is theirs, is something many of us take for granted.
Find Arrives! Furniture carefully hand-delivered and set up.
Imagine how exciting – and simultaneously overwhelming – all of this would be. This is where the Housing Outreach Worker (HOW) continues to be a crucial source of support. The HOW will take them out on their first shop for groceries and necessities, and they will help familiarize them with their new neighbourhood.
In Part One of this series, choice and autonomy were explored as crucial components in ensuring someone remains successfully housed. Activities like going on a furniture pick at Find or a first grocery shop are very important because the participant has the CHOICE in what they furnish their home with, and a choice in what they stock their fridge and pantry with. They are now able to choose what their meals will look like, what their snacks will be. This may seem trivial, but experiencing homelessness means meals and snacks are limited to whatever is being offered by the community resources these individuals were previously accessing.
First grocery shop and all the little things that make a place a home.
The final additions to their new home are those household items that are used every day but might not be a consideration for someone that was previously focused on simply surviving. Things like shower curtains, cutlery, dish cloths, laundry detergent, a clock, toilet paper, a toothbrush, soap, etc. These are all provided to ensure that when they move into their new place, they are comfortable and set up for long term success.
As Edmontonians, we care about our neighbours, our communities and our City as a whole. When we house our City’s most vulnerable citizens, we all benefit. No single agency, program or tactic can end homelessness. It takes commitment, leadership, action and trust. Homelessness is something we can and will end, together.
