Each year more than 26,000 individuals experiencing houselessness visit Alberta’s Emergency Rooms.
And how many of these people are housed after these visits? Zero.
This unmet need for care results in a number of serious issues. For patients, it means extremely poor outcomes and an enormous loss of dignity and respect. For the healthcare system, it demoralizes physicians, and carries a hefty financial cost.
"There's a lot of moral distress among healthcare providers having to discharge someone into houselessness. It's the worst feeling for doctors and nurses and social workers to say to a person, 'That's all we can do. And you're basically on your own.'” - Dr. Louis Francescutti, a Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency physician, University of Alberta School of Public Health professor, and one of the core team members leading the program.
On top of this, the current cost per year of treating one patient experiencing homelessness is approximately $115,000—43% higher than a typical patient.
The cycle of discharging patients into houselessness needs to be broken, and the process must be fixed. A bridge is needed.
HOW THE PROGRAM WILL HELP
Bridge Healing – ASAMINA KOCHI (to try again) - provides emergency department (ED) patients experiencing houselessness with transitional housing as well as integrated health and social support.
MORE THAN JUST A HOME
The mission of Bridge Healing is to anticipate and meet the needs of people experiencing houselessness and interacting with hospital care by providing immediate transitional housing and services in order to enable independent integration into society in a meaningful way.
Bridge Healing’s vision is to serve the needs of patients accessing the emergency department, or other hospital services, who are experiencing houselessness in a caring, respectful, and effective manner.
Depending on their needs, they could stay for 60-90 days, where the Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC) would work with them to find affordable permanent housing, as well as health support, social support, short-term work opportunities, and other supports to help them get ready to move onward.
Ultimately, Bridge Healing strives to achieve the goal of having no hospital patient discharged into houselessness. Bridging the healthcare system and social supports facilitates the healing journey of patients experiencing houselessness and reduces costly readmissions to emergency departments.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The work is underway, Bridge Healing has opened its doors, but the need for a significant amount of additional housing units in the City of Edmonton remains.
In order to reach the program’s goal of no longer discharging any ED patients into houselessness we must drastically increase the number of these units available.
Acting as fiduciary partner, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation has set an initial goal to raise one third, a goal of $10 million, to contribute to the total cost of the project to build and open several additional 12-unit homes to be operated by the JPWC.
Fortunately, the efforts of the team leading the Bridge Healing program, largely made up of social workers, emergency physicians, and compassionate community members, have proved fruitful:
In May of 2023, the City of Edmonton agreed to fund one year of the pilot, supplying $290,000 to cover operational costs.
Most recently the the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services announced it will provide $1.8 million in funding to ensure the continued operations of the Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation program for 2025-2026.
This critical investment will sustain these vital support services for vulnerable individuals leaving the hospital, helping them stabilize and transition to long-term housing and community care. Since 2023, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation has been fundraising in support of the Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation program. Through this funding and that by government, the Jasper Place Wellness Centre can continue to provide short-term accommodation, comprehensive care coordination, and tailored support services, including healthcare access, income supports, and housing navigation for its residents for the next two years.
Your support is needed more than ever. We must fund and open additional buildings as quickly as possible in order to meet the demand of the number of patients who need access to this life-changing program.
According to a recent city report, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton has doubled since 2020…and is expected to increase further. The current 36 units are almost always full and there are up to 40 patients per day coming through the Royal Alex Emergency Room alone who need your help.
Will you show your support today?