{"id":5731,"date":"2023-06-09T12:22:45","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T16:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=5731"},"modified":"2023-08-01T14:13:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T18:13:34","slug":"https-www-newmarkettoday-ca-local-news-when-ends-dont-meet-residents-of-new-housing-facility-offered-dignified-living-7009074","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/https-www-newmarkettoday-ca-local-news-when-ends-dont-meet-residents-of-new-housing-facility-offered-dignified-living-7009074\/","title":{"rendered":"When Ends Don’t Meet: Residents of new housing facility offered ‘dignified living’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted on: June 9th, 2023. By: Joseph Quigley, newmarkettoday.ca, Original Article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passage House, just north of Newmarket, is providing 18 formerly homeless individuals the services and support needed for a year so they can get their lives back on track<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is a new home in York Region for 18 formerly homeless people getting their lives back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passage House, located just north of Newmarket, is the region\u2019s newest transitional housing facility. Offering social services and apartment-style units, operator Blue Door is attempting to guide its first intake of residents to stable housing by the fall, about one year after they first entered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

York Region\u2019s director of homelessness community programs, Debbie Thompson, said some residents have been experiencing homelessness for a long time and have come from difficult situations, but the facility is offering life skills and more to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe important thing is to set individuals up for success,\u201d she said, adding the team works to “ensure people are able to find housing in the region that fits their needs and then they have the skills, the awareness, the education, the knowledge, the support in order to thrive in their own in their own place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating more transitional housing is part of how York Region is trying to combat ongoing and rising concerns around homelessness. Unlike emergency shelters, the transitional facility allows longer-term stays to help individuals get back on their feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Housing York Facility was completed last fall with 18 units, increasing York Region’s capacity to 48 transitional housing beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its first intake of residents, Blue Door CEO Michael Braithwaite said the new facility is working well and came about rather quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible experience so far,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea, and it\u2019s not always easy, is that immediately you come in, \u2018welcome,\u2019 but at the same time, we\u2019re going to work on your housing plan.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the facility’s common area are tables and a communal pantry, where meetings and programming might occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Door runs several programs in partnership with other organizations, including a men\u2019s group, nature walks, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, and a paint night. Blue Door program manager of transitional housing and health Amalee Lavigne referred to some of these activities as \u201ctherapeutic recreation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really (is) very communal, almost family-like,\u201d she said. \u201cFrom there, it\u2019s a lot of separate case management and service navigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s dignified living when you come in here,\u201d Braithwaite said. \u201cThat\u2019s why the region built this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a health hub where medical practitioners attend to treat residents. Lavigne said a registered practical nurse attends three times a week, with a family physician attending every other week and other health workers also coming by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lavigne said it is important to have those health services on site, with the landing area where Passage House is located also including the men’s shelter, Porter Place, and family shelter, Leeder Place, not having services nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re kind of in the middle of nowhere,\u201d Lavigne said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of tricky to get out to a clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 18 units spread across two floors feature two rooms each, a bedroom and living space. The units feature fridges, kitchens and any cookware a resident might require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone is so keen to have their own kitchen,\u201d Lavigne said. \u201cEveryone is so excited to cook their own stuff. They often times bring down meals they\u2019ve made for us to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate goal is to have residents move onto more permanent housing. They have up to a year to achieve that, though there is some flexibility in the timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A resident of Passage House, who requested anonymity, said it feels like a home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came because it\u2019s a great opportunity to get back on my feet and opens the door to other opportunities,\u201d the resident said. \u201cI am just taking it a day at a time, but the possibilities for my future are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thompson said the region is working to ramp up transitional housing spaces, though is still figuring out how many more units might be needed in its planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that the visibility of homelessness has increased. We know there are more people experiencing homelessness for the first time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see transitional housing as one part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aurora transitional housing stalled<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But those efforts have received some pushback in Aurora. The region is attempting to construct a 68-unit facility there, 31 of which would be for transitional housing space like passage houses. Nearby residents have come out in force to oppose it, <\/a>fearing the possibility of increased crime and decreased property values. The project is stalled as Aurora council delayed giving it zoning approval in the wake of concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braithwaite said any community building of a certain size will have occasional interactions with police, but nothing major has happened at the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people have a home, those numbers drop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing York manager of operations Randall Profitt said they design buildings to ensure they fit into their surrounding area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels the same, looks the same,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand that our buildings blend into the community, and they\u2019re well maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The property on which Passage House is located is separate from the urban area. Asked about keeping such facilities separate from more typical neighbourhoods, Profitt said there is a downside in a lack of easy access to services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould this building look any different if it\u2019s on Yonge Street? Would this not be an attractive feature on Yonge Street?\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a balance. Everyone has the right to the same level of opportunity to get services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passage House represents housing that goes beyond \u201cgood enough,\u201d Braithwaite said, and is instead just \u201cgood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHousing is a human right, and every single resident in our community, every single one, deserves a safe place to call home,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re doing here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Passage House, just north of\u00a0Newmarket, is providing 18 formerly homeless individuals the services and support needed for a year so they can get their lives back on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t