The 91大黄鸭 branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is working toward making changes to Heath House to aid in its integration to the community since its opening in January.

Located on Highway 97, Heath House offers 40-units to individuals experiencing, or who may be at risk of homelessness. Although, like any new development, this hasn鈥檛 come without its challenges.

Neighbouring residents in the Rutland community have complained about increased crime, garbage and exposure to drugs and alcohol consumption in public since the opening of Heath House.

But .

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鈥淧art of the efforts we鈥檙e taking at Heath House,鈥� said director of service delivery and program innovation Mike Gawliuk, 鈥淲e鈥檝e made some amendments to the tenancy program.鈥�

All tenants of Heath House and any other 91大黄鸭 CMHA housing project are to sign a detailed tenant鈥檚 agreement that outlines expected behaviour, the rules of the house and the good neighbour policy.

鈥淭he program is quite expansive,鈥� Gawliuk said. 鈥淚t outlines what鈥檚 expected there, and we modify it based on our experience monitoring the residents.鈥� He noted the amendments to Heath House鈥檚 agreement came into place about a month and a half ago.

But, if residents fail to comply with the agreement, other arrangements will be made for that individual. CMHA said since Heath House鈥檚 opening, 10 residents have been 鈥渆victed鈥� from the home.

鈥淭he reality is, ideally, we want to support people who have successful tenancies,鈥� he said.

Individuals who do not succeed in one home may be moved into another CMHA-operated project in the community, or the organization works closely with other community partners to find more suitable living options.

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In efforts to tackle litter, CMHA has a team working to clean up the streets surrounding Heath House and have extended their work into the neighbouring streets. Extra security has also been added to monitor the house, especially during the evening hours. And soon, security personnel will be hired to patrol the neighbourhood as well.

鈥淲e recognize we鈥檙e taking action towards the things we can control,鈥� communications director Jessica Samuels said. 鈥淲e recognize the people of Rutland believe the community is not as safe as it used to be.鈥�

Outreach members of CMHA are joining RCMP on ride alongs to interact with individuals in encampments in the surrounding area to ensure they have access to services, she said.

鈥淲e want the entire neighbourhood to be safe, not just the surrounding streets around the facility,鈥� Samuels added.

The CMHA representatives said the transition from the street or shelter to a home is a challenging one for many individuals, but once they are settled, the behaviour tends to change.

鈥淧eople are making the move from a shelter to housing,鈥� Gawliuk said. 鈥淎nd that may be the first time that they lived with a roof over their head for a number of years. We have seen individuals who have been in one setting and we move them to other settings and once they stabilize and get their feet under them, there is a huge improvement.鈥�

CMHA has been operating housing in 91大黄鸭 for two decades and it has more than 200 housing units in the community.

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鈥淥ne of the things we try to let people know is with our experience, we鈥檙e not trying to say things will go 100 per cent perfect,鈥� Samuels said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檒l make it right.鈥�

CMHA maintains open lines of communication with the public. In regards to the newest housing project slated for McCurdy Road, Samuels said the organization has been in contact with school districts, BC Housing, Knights of Columbus, residents of Rutland, city officials and the public.

Willowbridge Supporting Housing and Rosemead Apartments opened in 2010 and nine years later, Samuels said CMHA still has those direct lines of communication open.

鈥淲e鈥檙e there to deal with issues as they arise,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e want people to have a good understanding of who needs our help,鈥� she said, noting homelessness is experienced for a variety of reasons. It isn鈥檛 limited to single issues such as addictions or mental health.

鈥淚t鈥檚 supportive housing,鈥� Gawliuk said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to work with people where they鈥檙e at and help them move forward in life.鈥�

Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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