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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Supervised housing needed

posted by marscoop1 at 11h48

by Andrea Paré West Island Citizen Advocacy

Wandering the streets and suffering from schizophrenia, Ernest* was what many would dismiss as a hopeless case. After having a mental breakdown, he was kicked out of his home where he lived with his wife and young daughter.
Thankfully, there was a place of refuge – a group home run by the Omega centre – that took him in.

Since then, he has been living in an apartment provided by Ile des Amis, a
non-profit organization that provides housing with social support by the Church Apartment Program (CAP), an initiative of West Island Citizen Advocacy.

"(The program) gives them supervision, support (and) a shoulder to lean on," said Natalie Melillo, a community worker for Citizen Advocacy.

Very often, those with mental-health issues have nowhere to turn to after they are discharged from mental-health facilities. Many become isolated and alone, and end up homeless and living on the city streets.
In the West Island alone, it is estimated that 20 per cent of the population suffers from a mental-health problem. With such a high number, the needs for housing with support services are great.

"If you do the math, there are a large number of people that need help," said Francine Giroux, director of the mental-health network of the West Island.

According to Giroux, many mental-health needs in the West Island were not being addressed because of the distance to mental-health facilities like the Douglas Hospital.
This prompted the formation of a mental-health committee specifically for the West Island, which subsequently designed a portrait of the mental health needs for this region.

Among the priorities of the portrait was to improve housing for those experiencing mental-health problems.

The report on mental-health housing was published this past June by the West Island Housing sub-committee, a branch of the Centre de Santé et de Service Sociaux (CSSS).
The report estimates that there is a need for about 76 more supervised homes in the West Island. Supervision in these homes can range from intensive 24-hour care to less intensive, weekly visitations by mental-health workers.

Giroux says providing housing is important in helping those with mental-health problems cope with their illness.

"It's a lot more normal to have your own apartment.. There's a lot more opportunity to recover," she said.

Living in a supervised setting where they have to run their own lives, allows them to gain more autonomy and feel more in control, Giroux said.

"You have to provide that support to develop those skills. it will help them grow and develop."

One of the upcoming housing projects in the West Island is an initiative of Centre Omega, a non-profit organization that provides care for those with mental-health issues.
The centre is planning the construction of 28 semi-supervised apartments to be built by March 2009.

Debbie St. Martin, a co-ordinator at Omega, says the housing is desperately needed.

"The housing project is going to accommodate people who normally would be falling through the cracks," she asserted.

She says it is a vicious cycle, where they live in unsupervised group homes, do not take their medication, and end up living on the streets until they are picked up again. She says a supervised home is a better living environment, because clients can receive much needed care.

"There is going to be staff on site, eight hours a day, seven days a week. The goal is 14 hours a day, seven days a week," she said.

Currently, there are 90 people on the waiting list to live in the Omega housing project. St. Martin says the applicants of the program will be reviewed and most likely chosen by September. Unfortunately, not all will be accepted.

To qualify for the project, the applicants must have mental-health problems, be followed by a mental-health professional and need supervision.
They often need subsidized housing as the unemployment rate for those with mental-health issues ranges from 70 to 90 per cent, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

St. Martin says that there is a misconception that poverty is not a problem in the West Island, and that is likely why there is a lack of subsidized housing.

"There is still an important need (for housing), because for most people, they can't afford the rent. in our case, the priority is people who need help."

In 1986, West Island Citizen Advocacy established its semi- supervised housing CAP program for those with mental-health problems. The program now provides housing in Pierrefonds, Pointe Claire and Dorval. The residents in these apartments have scheduled visits from community workers who check up on them on a weekly basis.

Melillo and fellow Citizen Advocacy community worker Diane Veuhoff say the program has helped many with mental-health issues improve their quality of life.

"It's a maintenance program to have a stable life," Veuhoff said.

Melillo added that they are taught life skills and build their self-confidence.

"They improve all the time, every day," she said.

Resident Alex Hamilton, who has been living at one of the Pierrefonds supervised apartments, agrees that the program has been instrumental in his recovery. He says the apartment not only provides them a place to live, but a place where they are cared for.

"It's a support network; (we) talk to each other and work together to achieve a common goal of recovery."

Mike Miller, a resident of the Pierrefonds apartment for more than three years and a resident of the program for over 10 years, agrees with Hamilton.

"The interesting thing about this building is that we do things together. It's kind of fun. It's like its own community centre in a way."

But it isn't always easy. On the rare occasion, residents express suicidal behaviour, prompting crisis intervention by the community workers, which can involve increased supervision or in the worst case scenario, contacting 911.
With more than 90 people currently on the waiting list for the CAP program, there are many who won't get in. Those who apply have to fulfill certain requirements, says Melillo.

"They have to have a mental illness, they have to be followed by a psychiatrist, (and) they must be semi-autonomous," says Veuhoff.

For newcomers, it is often difficult to get a foot in the door because the residents stay for the long term.

"Once they're in, they're guaranteed a room for the rest of their life," says Melillo.

They both agree that more housing is needed for those with mental-health problems to maintain their independence and stability.
As for Ernest*, he was hired recently to work full time in the fraud department of a bank.

"He's really come a long way," says Melillo, with a smile. "Considering where he once was, it's pretty amazing," she concludes.

*name has been changed to protect the identity