Checking in with SSPSH

Remember when COVID hit and we went into lockdown? Well, that’s when the Christopher’s Place site was closing and being transformed into the innovative new Scattered Site PSH program. How is that change going?

Six Case Managers and Nicole Webber, the Program Manager, graciously talked about this new SSPSH experience, of course, on a socially distant Zoom call.

First the team updated the client and staff status. SSPSH can support up to 60 clients and now has 32 active clients with 5 more in the intake process. During the day, the Program Manager, 6 Case Managers, and a Program Support staff provide support. Over 90% of the clients have different landlords and clients are literally housed across and even beyond the city from Beaumont to the east end of Edmonton so this is a very mobile program.

Then the team talked about some of the biggest differences for staff and clients with the change to SSPSH. The first important difference is with referrals. “If this had been a congregate site,” Nicole says, “the program would have been full by now. But with a scattered site, intake is more complex. The environment is less controlled so we have to think of the safety of the community and the safety of staff.” About 4 of 5 referrals are appropriate and higher risk individuals, i.e., with a history of being disruptive, have to be carefully screened.

Staff also had more control when visiting clients at Christopher’s Place. If they were unsure of who was in a suite, other staff could go along. However, a Case Manager said that at SSPSH training equips them to have the confidence to ‘go with their gut’ and decide if the situation is right for a client visit. Checking in with the office during visits is standard practice.

The team finds clients are settling in. They are pleasantly surprised at how well the five clients who transferred in from Christopher’s Place are doing. One client who couldn’t go to appointments alone before is now is taking DATS and is “really rocking it.” Clients doing things on their own and being in their own environment seems to increase their self-respect as they learn and grow through trial and error.

New intakes still need time to build relationships and feel connected. The team also finds that some new clients aren’t used to being supported. In the words of one Case Manager, “They’re not used to having people genuinely care for them.” But, overall, the team sees that individuals with a long history of homelessness, even over twenty years, can maintain their housing with appropriate support.

When the team was asked what could be done to improve the program or service, COVID immediately came up. The pandemic is the biggest barrier to the team building the sense of community that was an important part of Christopher’s Place. Once COVID is controlled the team can start connecting clients through large group activities like picnics and holiday celebrations, and they can start getting people connected through a buddy system.

In the meantime, though, it sounds like the SSPSH team has made a remarkable start in supporting the homeless community in a brand new way—during a remarkably challenging time. Congratulations on a job well done!