Quesnel Shelter & Support Society
146 Carson Avenue V2J 2A8 Quesnel, BC, Canada

Is supportive housing costly for tax-payers? Research shows that providing supportive housing is less expensive than paying for health care and/or corrections services to people experiencing homelessness AND addiction and/or mental illness. And beyond that, a BC study found that for every dollar invested in supportive housing creates $4-5 in social and/or economic value. Social or economic value means savings from decreased use of government services, and neighbourhoods ben...efiting from increased local spending and community well-being. This information is from BC Housing research.

What IS supportive housing? Supportive housing is provincially-funded housing for people experiencing homelessness, with the addition of in-house services to help people maintain their housing. Some of the supports include case management and life skills training with Bridges staff, or connections to employment programs, health care, mental health, and/or substance use services. Each person gets their own individualized case plan and signs a tenancy agreement! Housing units... are private, studio-style with a kitchenette and bathroom. Some of the units are accessible for folks with mobility challenges. Residents pay rent for their home, geared to their income. For instance, if someone is on income assistance they would use their shelter portion to pay their rent. This information is from BC Housing research.

We're thrilled to see the level of support and excitement about the opening of Bridges Supportive Housing Program! Did you know that beyond the individual benefit to people housed in the program, there are benefits to the whole community? This week we'll be starting a series of posts about those positive impacts based on research from BC Housing--stay tuned!

Lest we forget.