New transitional housing for Thunder Bay's homeless set to open this fall

A new transitional housing facility for people dealing with chronic homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ont., is due to open this fall.

St. Joseph's Care Group, Alpha Court, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, and the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board made the announcement Friday.

The Lodge on Dawson, which will be located in the former Thunder Bay Inn building, will help people address mental health and addictions issues and teach them the life skills they need to transition to community living, said Nicole Latour, the executive director of Alpha Court.

Right now, Latour said, the lack of support for that transition results in a vicious cycle, where people bounce between housing and the streets.

"People are housed, not necessarily in housing options that meet their support needs, they end up being evicted, and they're back to being homeless," Latour explained. "And again they may be housed ... in a permanent housing unit, where again they're evicted due to issues that may manifest themselves from their problematic substance use or their mental health issues. They're evicted, they're homeless, and we're back to, like I said, the cycle of homelessness."

The new facility will provide round-the-clock supports to people who are learning to manage their conditions, Latour said, and clients will take part in activities such as laundry and meal preparation in order to build their confidence in their ability to live independently.

One man who struggled with addictions and untreated bipolar disorder says that level of care is critical to helping people stabilize their lives.

"It couldn't be just a weekly counselling session because that doesn't work," said John Caccamo, a client of St. Joseph's Care Group since 2010 and a member of the client and family partner program that provided input on the project.

"It needs to be something that is 24/7. It needs to be something where you are surround by people who are fighting the same fight."

Caccamo was fortunate to have family support to help him in his recovery, he said.

"Had I not had that, I wouldn't be here today," he added. "This is a hole that St. Joseph's is filling."

In addition to health care and life skills training the lodge will also offer cultural supports to Indigenous clients, said Tina Bobinski, the assistant director of mental health and addictions with Dilico.

"Dilico will be providing cultural services including [a] cultural wellness mentor," she said, "as well as a sweat lodge, access to elders, access to cultural activities, and really supporting an individuals's development in terms of their Indigenous identity."

Bobinski called the formal announcement of the lodge "awesome," saying, "It's super super exciting for our organization, for our board, [and] for our community partners."