A Concept to Better Assist Vulnerable Edmontonians
Current research estimates there are about 300 to 600 Edmontonians who are chronically homeless while struggling with addictions and mental health issues at the same time. Many of these individuals have experienced frequent trauma in their lives.
These individuals face several barriers, and the right resources aren’t always in place to help them. They often end up in emergency rooms or police custody – even though these are often not the most appropriate environments or the best ways to help them.
In an effort to better assist these vulnerable citizens, the City and social agency partners developed the Community Wellness Services Plan, which offers 2 concepts:
- Enhancing front-line services so that the right resources are available and better coordinated to comprehensively help individuals with complex needs
- Co-locating services by putting a number of them together in a single place, which could be either a new or already-existing space
Research and Planning Group
With a number of health and social services partners, the City has formed a Research and Planning Group to examine how the concepts in the Community Wellness Services plan can be put into action.
The group includes agencies that provide services such as housing, shelters, and addictions and mental health treatment, as well representation from the Edmonton Police Service.
The group is gathering evidence about the services currently available for people with complex needs, gaps in those services that need to be addressed, and models for better coordinating the delivery of services.