N.L. set to use former St. John's hotel as a bridge to long-term housing

A St. John's organization aimed at tackling homelessness is partnering with the Newfoundland and Labrador government to operate a former hotel as a facility to support those experiencing homelessness.

End Homelessness St. John's will manage a transitional supportive living facility in the building that once housed the Comfort Inn on Airport Road. It's meant to provide tenants with health and social supports and help them to find stable, long-term housing.

Doug Pawson, the executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, says the additional wrap-around services at the facility are important in finding long-term solutions.

"The idea of integration of health and community level and housing supports is really vital to seeing success, both on the health and housing side of things," he said.

"We've got a robust staffing model being developed and worked through, with the integration of health services, we see a real opportunity for transformation."

Doug Pawson, executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, says combining health and social supports with a place to live is key to addressing homelessness. (Ted Dillon/CBC)

Pawson said End Homelessness has posted job openings, with plans to hire about 100 people who will staff the facility around the clock, in addition to the existing hotel staff working in kitchen, housekeeping and maintenance roles.

He said his organization wants to make sure the facility is properly staffed with health and social workers, so people will have the support they need.

"We're taking a very intentional, phased approach to staffing, just recognizing staffing is a gap around the community, around the province, actually around the country," said Pawson.

Transitional housing fills a housing need

The province announced in January that it had struck a deal on a three-year lease with Clayton Hospitality, the hotel's owner, to convert the hotel and its 140 rooms into transitional housing. Operating the hotel will cost about $6.9 million per year for three years.

Provincial Housing Minister Fred Hutton says the facility helps to fill "a gap in our housing continuum" that exists between homelessness or staying in a shelter and long-term housing.

"This is not just putting somebody in a hotel and saying, 'OK, you're there until you can find a place.' This is putting somebody here, they sign a lease, they come in, they stay here, but they're not left alone," said Hutton.

"They have health services available … dealing with addictions, dealing with mental health issues, dealing with basic health needs that people have."

Housing Minister Fred Hutton says the former hotel is a perfect place to house the transitional housing facility. (Ted Dillon/CBC)

According to data from N.L. Health Services, there are 20 to 30 people in hospitals that wouldn't otherwise need to be there, but their housing is not supporting their health.

Hutton said the health care and other support services that will be offered at the facility separate it from a homeless shelter. Things like primary care, mental health and addictions counselling, and social and navigation services will be on offer.

While many rooms remain as standard hotel rooms, others have been converted into small clinic rooms or offices. Hutton said the former hotel ballroom will be converted into a health centre for residents.

The minister said potential residents will be recommended through community groups, with those people given the option to sign a lease to stay in the facility.

"It'll be a phased approach to get people in here. It's not going to be 140 people living here tomorrow morning, that's not what's going to happen. But what will happen is, over time, we will bring in the staff that are needed and hire them through Doug's group, End Homelessness St. John's," he said.

"The goal is to get as many people in here in a place where we can help, help get them to the next level of the continuum, which is basically going and getting their own apartment … this is a transition, a bridge to the next step in housing."

Some of the former hotel rooms have been converted into spaces for medical clinics. (Ted Dillon/CBC)

Hutton said the former hotel is a perfect fit for the transitional facility. He said it will allow people to move in quickly, rather than converting another facility or building from the ground up.

"It's available, it's ready, the staff here are prepared to help in whatever way they can," he said.

"Through End Homelessness St. John's, instead of, you know, say, four, five or six months and having this up and running, it would be years before we would be able to have a facility like this," he said.

Hutton said there are about a dozen people currently living in the facility, but they had been living there before the government made the agreement and aren't in need of the additional services that will be provided.

Pawson said End Homelessness St. John's is hoping to have more people living at the facility as soon as possible.

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