Square One Community Inc. and the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation have entered into a formal partnership guaranteeing the use of the William Milne building for Square One’s new supportive housing project.
“As soon as December, we're looking at taking our first clients in. What's cool about that relationship with the Moose Jaw Nonprofit Housing Corporation is as the program grows and expands, there's other opportunities for other buildings in the city to grow as we grow, so that this is a collaboration that's going to have a dramatic impact on the situation around homelessness and Moose Jaw,” explained Max Eckstein, Square One Community Inc. Special Projects Coordinator.
“Adding to that, the intake process is going to come through two streams.”
The first stream for intakes will take clients directly out of the Willow Lodge Shelter, in a bid to reduce the strain on the frequently at-capacity shelter. This move, Eckstein noted, will take clients that are ready to continue their journey to independence.
“Our second stream of housing support is going to be directly with clients living already in the building currently, with the Moose Jaw Nonprofit Housing Corporation, who are at immediate risk of eviction due to issues that could be easily mitigated with the help of a supportive housing program. We're looking forward to working with individuals through both those streams.”
Eckstein explains how the supportive housing program works, and what differentiates it from other, more traditional solutions like emergency shelters.
“When people think of supportive housing, they think of periodic check-ins at someone's residence to see how they're doing. But supportive housing with Square One is going to be much more extensive than that. It'll involve intensive case management, seeing clients two to three times a day in their units and really providing services around tenancy support, access to primary physicians, pharmaceutical supports trusteeship, addiction support and support with mental health.”
“It's an intensive program that really helps someone launch themself back into independence.”
The program will give Square One Community Inc. access to 15 units within the William Milne building, with the first two or three clients entering by the beginning of December. Depending on the success of the program, future expansions are possible in other locations.
Eckstein explained how candidates would be selected to participate in the supportive housing program.
“There is a rigorous assessment process that would take place with prospective individuals and those prospective individuals will be referenced to us by the Moose Jaw Housing Authority for clients who are at risk of immediate eviction from their facilities and also from the management of Willow Lodge Shelter, who can identify clients that are housing ready and have been repeatedly staying at the shelter and ready for those next steps.”
Square One Community Inc. and Eckstein are excited to bring this new approach to tackling the issue of unhoused people within the city.
“Supportive housing creates a safer community because what it does is it takes individuals who are struggling and provides them with the supports they need so they don't have to look elsewhere.”
“It's going to be a strong boost to the downtown core and it's going to encourage civic citizenship in lot of vulnerable individuals that haven't really ever considered participating in that before.”