Menu
Homes First’s Client Services Department, including our Harm Reduction Team, work diligently to develop needs-informed programs for our shelter and housing residents.
Below are some of our onsite health-focused programs.
Homes First works in partnership with Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) and TrustCare Pharmacy to provide onsite medical supports to residents.
Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) allows residents to seek support from onsite medical professionals including Nurses, Psychiatrists and Physicians on a regular basis.
TrustCare Pharmacy provides onsite pharmacy services to ensure our residents have consistent access to their medications.
In addition to onsite supports, Homes First Health Navigation team partners with hospitals and medical services in the community to support residents and to ensure their specific mental and physical health needs are met.
Homes First operates from a harm reduction approach. Harm Reduction is a collection of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing the negative consequences and harm associated with substance use.
To reduce this harm, all Homes First staff are educated on harm reduction, and Homes First has implemented the following harm reduction practices across our sites:
We collaborate with community partners and external agencies to provide residents access to opioid agonist therapies (OAT) as well as treatment and detox programs.
In partnership with Toronto Public Health, an Urgent Public Health Needs Site (UPHNS) operates out of our 545 Lake Shore Blvd West site to provide a safe space for residents to consume substances in order to reduce overdose deaths and reduce substance use in the community.
Homes First partners with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to provide harm reduction and addiction service education to residents as part of the Scarborough Addictions Services Partnership (SASP) program.
This program operates out of our 702 Kennedy Rd and 4117 Lawrence Ave East shelter sites; we offer monthly workshops for residents to support with education, reducing stigma towards people who use drugs, addiction, treatment options and other harm reduction topics as requested by residents.