New MST Team Building Bridges

MST team members, Lora Enns, Health Care Aide, and Caitlyn Bishop, Crisis Worker, in their Bridge Housing office at the Travelodge.

MST team members, Lora Enns, Health Care Aide, and Caitlyn Bishop, Crisis Worker, in their Bridge Housing office at the Travelodge.

 

GSS Programs aren’t usually based in hotels, but these are unusual COVID times. The Travelodge Bridge Housing program is where a second GSS Mobile Support Team (MST) is addressing medical, crisis and housing needs of up to 30 high acuity individuals. The site can temporarily house 200 homeless/displaced individuals.

Bridge Housing is a creative response in the city of Edmonton to the unique needs and risks that COVID brought to homeless population. How do you isolate without a residence? How do you even follow basic hand hygiene protocols without running water? With the closure of the Convention Centre and dismantling of tent camps, interim housing was clearly needed.

The Travelodge West Hotel Bridge Program was established in January and is operated by Jasper Place Wellness. GSS quickly built on its MST experience to set up a second team at the Travelodge. Paulina Kalinowski, who serves as the Coordinator and LPN, leads the team of 2 health care aides and 3 crisis workers.

  • The health care aides help with medical appointment transportation, assessments, medication administration, wound care and following up with health care providers. The crisis workers assist with crisis management, follow up, and prevention, as well as helping clients access legal, community, and housing supports. The top floor of one tower is restricted to individuals waiting for housing and needing to isolate for 2-weeks due to COVID. Supporting these individuals means team members donning full PPE. 

  • In addition to the medical, health care, and crisis response skills the team brings to Bridge Housing, they also bring connections with the other GSS services. Paulina describes a case where a client, not independent enough for Bridge Housing, was transferred to POD where the staff helped him to stabilize.  Now on a managed alcohol program, the client is ready for the Housing First team to help him transition to a housing facility. 

Fortunately, the team enjoys change because that is constant at Bridge Housing. “At Balwin Place,” Paulina says, “the population is stable and similar. In Bridge Housing, people are housed each month so the caseload changes constantly. Also, we work with younger and older people —we’ve even worked with pregnant women.” Bridge Housing is a valuable program for the Edmonton community and the dedicated MST team is an important part of that program. Paulina sums up their experience and commitment: “It has definitely been a learning experience for the whole team, and we will continue to support the community to the best of our abilities.”