Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team
RainCity Housing is responsible for the Vancouver ACT team. The ACT team is based on the Pathways to Housing model from New York. That model entails a ‘housing first’ approach with ACT supports.
The ACT team provides a broad array of clinical and support services.
The team is designed to support 100 clients at a client-staff ratio of 10:1. The majority of the work happens within the community and crisis support is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Program staff are closely involved in hospital admissions and discharges.
Rent supplements are provided in order to secure housing. Self-determination, choice and harm reduction are at the centre of all considerations with respect to the provision of housing and ACT services.
The ACT Team members are:
Barbara Baumgartner, Substance Use Counsellor
Mellisa Fahy, Psychiatrist
Heather Gilmore, Peer Specialist
Nikki Haselberger, Community Development Specialist
Kathleen McGarvey, Psychiatrist
Kim Markel, Nurse
Sacha Medine, Supported Employment Specialist
Kathryn Reierson, Administrative Assistant
Greg Richmond, Associate Director, RainCity Housing and Support Society
Colin Sanders, Team Lead
Etty Thompson, Nurse
Brian Williams, Substance use Specialist
Mona Woodward, Aboriginal Service Coordinator
For more information: ACT RainCity website
Congregate Team
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 (explained below) 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 in the heart of the business district. There are 100 rooms and each one has a 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 supports. The services are designed to 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 will include nursing care, a medical doctor, a psychiatrist, and addictions and mental health support workers. Daytime staff will include a Project Director, cleaning and maintenance and staff responsible for security. There will be a minimum of 2 staff available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Portland Hotel Society took possession of the building on May 1, 2010. The first 25 people are expected to move into the building by the end of May 2010.
The Congregate Team is:
Liz Evans, Executive Director, Portland Hotel Society
Jeff West, Project Manager
Housing
Motivation Power and Achievement Society (MPA) is responsible for securing 200 housing units for the Vancouver At Home project, at locations scattered throughout the city.
MPA plays an important role in developing relationships of trust with multi-unit property owners, property management companies and resident managers (“landlords”).
Landlords realize financial benefits such as administration cost savings over the long term, since units are occupied with a guarantee of on-time payment of market rent or equivalent holding fee over the project’s term. MPA also acts as liaison with the landlords on housing issues.
MPA secures the housing units and is responsible for the administration of both the participant’s contribution to their rent and the MHCC rent subsidy. 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, Motivation Power & Achievement Society
Mark MacDonald, Portfolio Development Officer, Motivation Power & Achievement Society
For more information: MPA website
Intensive Case Management (ICM) Team
One hundred participants will be randomly assigned to the ICM team. Coast Mental Health is the project lead responsible for providing ICM.
ICM is one intervention within the “Housing First” model. Self-determination, choice and harm reduction are central 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, linking them with services within the existing service delivery system.
The team is designed to support 100 clients at a 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 Intensive Case Management team is:
Sarah Blindheim, Case Manager
Joanna Gallivan-Smith, Case Manager
Renée Parent, Bilingual Case Manager
Gary Park, Case Manager
Tracy Schonfeld, Director Community Services at Coast Mental Health
Dawn Slykhuis, Team Leader
Carrie Smith, Social Work Case Manager
For more information: ICM website
Research Field Office
The At Home field office is located along with the ACT and ICM teams at 283 East 11th Avenue. Michelle Patterson and Verena Strehlau oversee the implementation of various research components, including all referrals to the study.
The first step when referring a potential participant is to contact the Field Office. One of our staff will make sure that the individual is a good fit for the project and vice versa.
To contact the Field Office, please call 604-675-2380 or email Verena at vstrehlau@brain.ubc.ca
The primary eligibility criteria for possible participants are:
- Legal adult status (age 19 and older)
- Absolutely homeless: No fixed accommodation for more than 7 nights OR
- Precariously housed: Participant lives in an SRO or transitional housing and has at least two short episodes or one long episode of absolute homelessness in the past year
- Severe Mental Illness (chronic, persistent symptoms, history of hospitalization, functional impairment due to mental illness)
- Formal diagnosis is not required
- Substance dependence is not excluded
More specifics regarding the eligibility of the possible participant are covered during the telephone intake and the first interview.
For more information about the referral process, the study design and the inclusion criteria, please see our AT HOME study information sheet.
The Field Research Team – Team Leaders
Michelle Patterson
Verena Strehlau
The Field Research Team - Interviewers
Sindi Addorisio
Lauren Currie
Nancy Laliberte
Kurt Lock
Melinda Markey
Bernd Mueller
Bijan Nassirimanesh
Diane Schmidt