We were originally funded by Alberta Health Services. Today our funding comes from ALSS. I forget what that's called. Someone can google it.
Bridge healing sits in between the hospital and homelessness. If you are unhoused and leaving the emergency department and if we have a vacancy, you come and stay with us. We do have wraparound supports, but one of the most unique things about this program is that it's person led.
I do want to be very clear, before I explain “person led”, that bridge healing fits into the continuum of housing programs that already exist. We catch people in the gap between emergency care and the street, but then we use housing first. We use supportive housing. We use seniors housing and veterans housing to get people to the next phase.
“Person led” means we meet people and see them as a whole person. We use emotional intelligence and try to help people unpack the backpack they've been carrying for the last 10 or 20 years. We have health care aids, social workers and nurse practitioners. It's health focused, but human centred and person led.