Report To: Program Planning Committee
From: Lori Clark, Director of Integrated Human Services
Kristian Thorne, Integrated Human Services Manager
Date: September 18, 2024
Re: Sudbury North Housing Case Management - Issue Report
Purpose
To provide the Board with an update on the piloted Housing Case Management (HCM) position in Sudbury North.
Background
In September 2023 the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board (DSB) launched a housing case management pilot program in Sudbury North. The program is designed to support the tenants living in Community Housing to have successful tenancies.
With housing retention being the primary goal, case management services are offered to any tenant with an at-risk tenancy. Case management support can include individualized action plans, financial support, employment support, education and mental health support.
All support offered is designed for each tenancy. The Housing Case Manager uses a client-centered approach to highlight the personal strengths of everyone. This enables the individual to gain confidence and learn how to problem solve efficiently.
Although the program priority is DSB Community Housing tenants, this HCM position has flexibility to support community members that are experiencing homelessness.
The Housing Case Manager position is provided through a partnership agreement with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in our other DSB locations. Although Sudbury North does fall into CMHA Sudbury-Manitoulin catchment area there have been challenges with recruitment and retention in Sudbury North.
Initial expansion of the program began with an agreement between CMHA Sud-Man, CMHA Cochrane-Temiskaming and the DSB. This partnership faced challenges with distance, staff support and recruitment. After approximately one-year CMHA Cochrane-Temiskaming decided to discontinue the partnership. At this time, CMHA Sud-Man. sub-contracted the position to Turning Point. Again, this agreement proved unsuccessful due to staffing and recruitment challenges.
The Manitoulin Sudbury DSB created an ‘in-house’ pilot position to meet the community need.
During the pilot period we have experienced many successes. As reported at the May 2024 board meeting some highlights are:
Although we have seen positive outcomes we have faced challenges along the way.
The HCM discovered some resistance to change from tenants, lack of trust and participation. Significant outreach was required initially to build rapport with tenants with consistent communication, positivity and setting achievable goals.
We also determined a lack of available services in the community creates a barrier for individuals seeking the support they need. Service gaps include; reliable transportation, victim services, crisis support and long waitlists for Mental Health/Addiction support.
The HCM has shared that Sudbury North has very limited rental units making it very difficult for low-income households to secure safe and affordable housing.
Conclusion
The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB Housing Case Manager position will continue to provide personalized support to tenants and community members. The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB is committed to providing the best possible assistance to the individuals we serve. We believe the increased support will continue to lead to increased successful tenancies and positive outcomes for the community.
Staff are recommending the Finance Committee review the financial impact of providing housing case management support internally during the 2025 budget process.