Bridge Healing: A Pilot Project of a New Model to Prevent Repeat “Social Admit” Visits to the Emergency Department and Help Break the Cycle of Homelessness in Canada

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 20; no. 19; p. 6845
• Main Authors: Robrigado, Matthew, Zorić, Igor, Sleet, David A., Francescutti, Louis Hugo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.09.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Alberta; Alternative approaches; Communication; Community structure; Costs; Drug abuse; Emergency medical care; Emergency Service, Hospital; Emergency services; Employment; Health care access; Health services; Homeless people; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Housing; Humans; Ill-Housed Persons; Mental health; Patients; Pilot Projects; Primary care; Public health; Substance abuse treatment; Alberta; Canada; homeless(ness); homeless patients; transitional housing; bridge healing; emergency department; The Eden alternative; housing first
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20196845

Homelessness continues to be a pervasive public health problem throughout Canada. Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) and inpatient wards have become a source of temporary care and shelter for homeless patients. Upon leaving the hospital, homeless patients are not more equipped than before to find permanent housing. The Bridge Healing program in Edmonton, Alberta, has emerged as a novel approach to addressing homelessness by providing transitional housing for those relying on repeated visits to the ED. This paper describes the three essential components to the Bridge Healing model: partnership between the ED and a Housing First community organization; facility design based on The Eden Alternative™ principles; and grassroots community funding. This paper, in conjunction with the current pilot project of the Bridge Healing facilities, serves as a proof of concept for the model and can inform transitional housing approaches in other communities.