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Ottawa Citizen

Queensway Carleton Hospital interested in developing transitional housing on federal land, MP says

Article content Article content Kaite Burkholder Harris, the executive director of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, said there is obvious potential of such a housing project near an Ottawa hospital, and that the link between healthcare and housing is 'so clear.' Article content In 2022-2023, patients in Canadian hospitals, who were also experiencing homelessness, had an average stay of 15.4 days, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The national average was eight days. Article content Burkholder Harris pointed to Dunn House, a social medicine housing initiative in Toronto, as a potential model for the Ottawa project. The development is a four-storey modular building on land owned by the University Health Network. Article content It has 51 units for unhoused people who were frequently admitted to the hospital. Article content Burkholder Harris said there is a 'good opportunity' for the Queensway Carleton Hospital to follow the lead of Dunn House, which was the first facility of its kind in the country, according to the University Health Network. Article content Article content 'I think it's really demonstrated the value of being able to provide really deeply supportive housing, but with a healthcare lens, and if it's close to the hospital like that, it makes a huge difference too in terms of the access to services,' she said. Article content Cheryl Forchuk, a health researcher at Western University, said that those who experience homelessness age more rapidly and often accumulate chronic illnesses to the point that 'you would think I was talking to a geriatric population.' Article content Stress caused by a lack of secure housing leads to higher rates of arthritis, lung disease and even early onset dementia, Forchuk said. Article content It's why Forchuck has advocated for permanent housing solutions rather than mere transitional housing, which she says is a stop-gap measure. Article content 'Transitional housing is not a home, and so ultimately, people need homes,' said Forchuk, who studies the link between housing and homelessness. Article content Article content Vandenbeld said the hospital has begun developing its proposal, but it's unclear whether it has submitted it to the federal government. Article content Moving forward, Vandenbeld said she wants to ensure the land is transferred to the hospital, which will be the first domino to fall before the discussion can turn towards partnerships and funding for the project. Article content She added that the sooner the land is committed to the hospital, the easier it will be to string partnerships together for development. Article content 'It's very hard to get any funding to build when you don't actually have a commitment on the land, right?' Vandenbeld said. Article content There is also a second adjacent property in the federal land bank at 1730 Robertson Rd., which Vandenbeld said could be of interest to the hospital for another project later down the road. For, now her focus has been on bringing the first project to fruition. Article content 'It's going to be a challenge to find all the pieces and put them together,' Vandenbeld said. 'But looking at who is already committed on this, I'm very optimistic about it.'