The Slaight Family Foundation has committed another $25 million gift to help Toronto bridge the gap between health and housing. The multi-million-dollar gift will address urgent health crises and chronic homelessness by providing immediate relief and pathways to permanent, stable housing.

Homelessness and health problems are deeply connected. For people experiencing homelessness, going to the hospital often does not solve their health problems for long, as many are discharged back to the same difficult conditions that made them sick in the first place.

The $25 million funding aims to better connect housing, healthcare, and community services for people experiencing homelessness through a new initiative called the Slaight Family Housing Lab. The Slaight Family Housing Lab has two main goals: to respond to urgent health and housing crises faced by the homeless and to tackle the root causes of chronic homelessness by helping people move into permanent housing.

Experts say that the “Housing First” approach, which provides people with a stable place to live and strong support, has worked more than 80% of the time in helping them leave homelessness for good. The Slaight Family Housing Lab program will send mobile teams to meet people where they are, such as on the streets, in shelters, or in encampments, and help them with things like healthcare, mental health support, ID, and housing applications. These teams will stay connected with people over time to make sure they remain housed. The first phase aims to help at least 300 people find stable housing, with plans to grow and help many more in the future. The program aims to improve the lives of tens of thousands of people by 2030.

Since launching in 2008, the Slaight Family Foundation has invested more than $300 million in initiatives supporting healthcare, at-risk youth, international development, and other causes.

Souce: The Globe and Mail