Bosman Hotel Community

Portland Hotel Society is responsible for the congregate arm of the Vancouver At Home project. This intervention is unique to Vancouver and is an opportunity to measure how a congregate model of housing and support services can benefit individuals who are homeless and experience mental illness.

One hundred high needs participants will be housed in a common building. The Bosman Hotel Community is located in downtown Vancouver. There are 100 rooms each with private bathroom. Food services are provided in a common dining area.

Support services and programs provided are designed around the assessed needs of each individual. They focus on physical and mental health, addictions and daily living related supports. The services create connections for people through a combination of in-house services and by bringing in other appropriate services on an outreach basis.

The clinical team includes nursing care, a medical doctor, a psychiatrist, and addictions and mental health support workers. Daytime staff includes a Project Director, cleaning and maintenance and staff responsible for security. There is a minimum of 2 staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As of October, 2011 there are 92 people living in the Bosman.

The Bosman Team is:
Liz Evans, Executive Director, Portland Hotel Society and Congregate Project Team Lead
Jeff West, Project Manager
Lori Montgomery, Case Manager
Amy O'Dea, Case Manager
Chris Van Veen, Case Manager
Chris Burnside, Mental Health Worker
Karmin Poirier, Mental Health Worker
Colin Tattrie, Mental Health Worker
Jens Skovgaard, Mental Health Worker
Lawrence Haegert, Mental Health Worker
Mishel Bouillet, Mental Health Worker
Kathryn Campbell, LPN
Sarah Foster, LPN
Patricia Hynds, RN
Kerry Rae, RN
April Smith, Peer support worker
Hendrik Beune, Peer support worker
Doug Ferris, Peer Employment Coordinator
Christy Sutherland, General Practitioner
Nancy Miki, Psychiatrist

Housing

Motivation Power and Achievement Society (MPA) is responsible for securing 200 scattered site housing units for the Vancouver At Home project.

MPA plays an important role in developing relationships of trust with multi-unit property owners, property management companies and resident managers (“landlords”) and will help landlords avoid negative financial consequences through their participation in At Home. Landlords realize financial benefits such as administration cost savings over the long term as units are occupied with a guarantee of on-time payment of market rent or equivalent holding fee during the project’s term.

MPA not only secures the housing units but is responsible for the administration of the participant’s contribution to their rent as well as the MHCC rent subsidy.  MPA acts as liaison with the landlords on housing issues.  MPA is also responsible for the administration of the furniture, linens and insurance packages provided to each participant. 

The Housing Team is:
Sue Baker, Director, Supported Housing, MPA and Housing Project Team Lead
Mark MacDonald, Portfolio Development Officer 
Slinder Balaggan, Portfolio Development Officer 

For more information: http://www.mpa-society.org/

Intensive Case Management (ICM) Team

One hundred participants will be randomized to ICM. Coast Mental Health is the project lead responsible for providing ICM.

ICM is one intervention within the “Housing First” model which operates under the belief that homeless people living with mental illness should be offered immediate access to rent supplements in order to secure permanent independent apartments. Self-determination, choice and harm reduction are at the centre of all considerations with respect to the provision of housing and support services.

The ICM team is available 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to support individuals with direct experience of mental illness and homelessness in brokering services within the existing service delivery system. The team will support 100 clients at a maximum client-staff ratio of 20:1. The Case managers develop housing plans to ensure people maintain their housing. Housing plans will consist of intensive follow up support, life skill development, financial stability, social/recreation development, vocational counseling, community integration and any other goals identified by the individual participants.

The ICM team is:
Tracy Schonfeld, Director of Community Services, Coast Mental Health and ICM Project Team Lead
Dawn Slykhuis, Team Leader
Sarah Blindheim, Program Coordinator
Joanna Gallivan-Smith, Case Manager
Jynene Stevenson, Case Manager
Cate Kyle, Case Manager
Charlotte Palm, Case Manager
Tony Ho, Case Manager
Matt Granlund, Casual Case Manager
Tanya Helle, Casual Case Manager

For more information: http://coastmentalhealth.com/icm.html 

Field Research Team

The At Home field office is co-located with the ACT and ICM teams at 283 East 11^th Avenue. Michelle Patterson and Verena Strehlau oversee the implementation of various research components, including follow-up interviews with participants in all of the study arms.

To contact the Field Office, please call 604.675.2380.

The Field Research Team is:
Michelle Patterson, Research Coordinator
Verena Strehlau, Field Research Manager
Sindi Addorisio, Office Staff and Interviewer
Bernd Mueller, Interviewer
Jeff Lawlor, Interviewer
Allison Laing, Interviewer
Nancy Laliberte, Interviewer
Bijan Nasiri, Interviewer
Arianna Kennedy, Peer Interviewer
Kurt Lock, Interviewer
Melinda Mackey, Interviewer
Lauren Currie, Interviewer