A police union in a major Ontario city made a push this fall for better mental health supports for its front-line officers. Hamilton Police Association (HPA) president Jaimi Bannon faced the city’s police board in October and called for an end to a stigma […]
Tag: Social Work
988 hotline for those facing mental health crisis launches across Canada – CBC News [2023-11-30]
Canada’s 988 hotline, which gives people access to suicide prevention services via call or text, went live on Thursday. People in every province and territory who are experiencing a mental health crisis and need immediate, real-time support can use the three-digit number. Similar to […]
Crisis worker with London Children’s Aid urges province to step in as agency places kids in hotels – CBC News [2023-11-15]
A crisis intervention specialist with the London, Ont. branch of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) says there are currently no beds available for some of the city’s most vulnerable youth. Pre-existing gaps in services have only grown wider in the city and across the […]
New apartments opening for homeless people with ‘complex health needs’ – CBC News [2023-10-11]
People who have nowhere to live and are dealing with complex health needs will now have 25 supportive housing units where they stay so they don’t end up on the street. The London Health Sciences Centre and London Cares have partnered to offer the […]
5M Canadians experienced a mental health disorder in 2022: StatCan – CTV News [2023-09-23]
More than five million Canadians experienced some form of mental health disorder in 2022, a new Statistics Canada study has revealed. StatCan says those Canadians “met the diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder, with the prevalence of mood and anxiety […]
Ontarians on social supports ‘worse off’ than before pandemic, study suggests – Global News [2023-09-20]
Some Ontario researchers say residents in the province who were already among the poorest and most vulnerable prior to COVID-19 are now worse off than they were before. A new report McMaster University’s political science and labour studies department is highlighting how things are […]
Agencies urge city for continued security at outreach spaces facing escalating violence – CBC News [2023-09-14]
A number of agencies offering services to those experiencing homelessness in London, Ont., are urging city council to continue funding security at two key downtown outreach and resting spaces. In July, council approved $200,000 out of a request for $374,000 to go toward security […]
How more homeless encampments in Ontario signal a housing crisis out of control – Global News [2023-09-09]
Homeless encampments have been multiplying across Ontario since the pandemic, but experts say this visible symptom of the national housing crisis has been a long time coming. With limited shelter space, a lack of social housing, increasing cost of home ownership and ballooning rents, […]
Just four organizations bid to operate London’s first homeless hubs – CTV News [2023-09-06]
Council’s options may be limited when they choose locations and lead agencies to operate the first low-barrier service hubs for Londoners experiencing homelessness. According to a publicly available list posted on city hall’s Bids and Tenders website, nine organizations participated in a Request for […]
Ontario cities watching as London rolls out first-of-its-kind homeless response – CBC News [2023-08-23]
Municipal leaders dedicated the final day of the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) conference to discuss collaborative solutions to homelessness as a housing crisis continues across the province. AMO looked to its host London, along with Kingston — two cities that are taking the […]
Council endorses homeless hub plan, despite concerns about cost and capacity – CBC News [2023-07-24]
The City of London has moved a step closer to approving a multi-million dollar plan to open a series of neighbourhood service hubs intended to provide life-saving supports and pathways to housing for those suffering through an increasingly deadly homelessness crisis. The plan was […]
‘This is an investment’: City staff justify London, Ont. homeless hubs plan – Global News [2023-07-19]
City councillors will debate the much-talked-about hub implementation plan to address London’s growing homelessness crisis in a special committee meeting next week. A 46-page report details the steps taken so far, including community engagement, and what immediate steps are needed next, including a request […]
St. Thomas police dismantle homeless camp, frustrating some outreach workers – CBC News [2023-07-19]
St. Thomas has dismantled a well-established encampment where people had set up tents and built make-shift shelters, angering outreach workers who say the people there have nowhere else to go. “What typically happens is they have to see if there’s room in the shelter […]
What you need to know about London’s proposed homeless hubs – CBC News [2023-07-18]
The much anticipated plan to help support the homeless population in London, Ont. will include 24/7 wrap around services in hubs that will cost $2.7 million each to run. A new 46-page report to be discussed by councillors next week outlines the details of […]
Arrest the homeless? London, Ont. councillor promotes controversial plan – Global News [2023-07-18]
A city councillor in London, Ont., is coming under fire after sharing a plan to address homelessness that suggested providing support that people need to get off the streets but arresting anyone who refuses assistance. Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson tweeted “London could be […]
London’s ‘game changer’ mental health-care model inspires revisioned plan in Windsor – CBC News [2023-07-17]
Just two hours up Highway 401 from Windsor, Ont., there’s a mental health and addictions crisis centre that is a “game changer” for the London community. Now, a Windsor hospital is eyeing the same model as it plans to re-submit a proposal to the […]
Real estate developers say homelessness, drugs hinder downtown London’s full-scale revival – CBC News [2023-07-17]
Real estate developers say homelessness, drugs and the prevalence of people suffering from severe mental illness is holding back the full-scale revival of downtown London by making it a hard sell for prospective office tenants as the core looks to turn the corner after […]
A new course teaches Ontario police recruits how to defuse a mental health crisis – CBC News [2023-07-07]
Ontario now offers an 18-hour course that teaches police recruits how to deal with people suffering from a mental health crisis, marking the first time such training has been offered to the province’s law enforcement cadets. The three-day training session was introduced last week […]
‘An outhouse is one of the best things’: Temporary homeless depots begin in city parks – CTV News [2023-07-04]
A meal, water and a portable washroom was a nice surprise for Neil Hammell, who is living in an encampment off Wellington Valley Park in London, Ont., near the Thames River. “There’s no clean down here, there’s just different levels of dirty,” said Hammell, […]
City council votes yes to fund homeless encampment ‘service depots’ – CBC News [2023-06-28]
London city council is moving ahead with a plan to create four service depots for homeless populations in the downtown core. As London faces an escalating homelessness crisis, the plan to ramp up emergency response supports was pushed forward by city council at a […]
More supports needed to protect people with schizophrenia from extreme heat, experts say – CBC News [2023-06-24]
British Columbia’s 2021 heat dome killed people diagnosed with schizophrenia at a higher rate than those with any other chronic illness, according to recent findings from researchers at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). As extreme heat events are forecasted to become more […]
More highly supportive, deeply affordable housing units coming to London this fall – CBC News [2023-06-05]
The city has approved a deal with charity Indwell for 44 deeply affordable, highly supportive housing units, a step toward London’s promise to open 100 such apartments by the end of the year. City councillors approved the plan for the supportive housing units last […]
Why You Shouldn’t Call the Police on an Unhoused Person (and What to Do Instead) – Lifehacker [2023-05-26]
People think we’ve got the market cornered on houselessness here in Portland, Ore., but traveling across Idaho, Utah, and Arizona this winter helped confirm that this is not a uniquely West Coast Thing; it’s endemic. Houseless folks make people anxious, which explains how housed […]
Lived Experience of Homelessness Examined – A Personal Perspective: When is it helpful in program and policy work? Psychology Today [2023-05-22]
The lived experience, the direct and unintentional (as in not stunt journalism) experience of homelessness, is increasingly used and prioritized in policy and program realms. While much of this is good, I think it needs to be examined more closely. As someone with the […]
Officers’ focus should be policing, not social work: New St. Thomas chief – London Free Press [2023-05-15]
Prioritizing the health and well-being of police officers is fundamental to improving the way police serve the community and build trust with the public, says the incoming St. Thomas police chief. Acting Chief Marc Roskamp, who will be sworn in Tuesday, outlined his vision. […]
