HELP BREAK THE CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS
Every year, over 26,000 individuals experiencing homelessness visit Alberta’s Emergency Rooms—and exactly zero of them are housed following these visits.
Through support of the Bridge Healing “Asamina Kochi” program (which translates from Cree into "to try again"), the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation is working to address this unmet need in care, and break the cycle of homelessness.
The Bridge Healing program works by providing emergency patients experiencing homelessness, with their consent, with transitional housing at the Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC). There, they can stay for up to 60 days and will receive health support, social support, short-term work opportunities, and other supports to help them get ready to move onward—including assistance finding affordable permanent housing.
In May of 2023, the City of Edmonton agreed to fund one year of the pilot, supplying $290,000 to cover operational costs.
This has provided the first Bridge Healing House Units that are currently in operation, but the need for more is reaching critical levels.
Our goal at the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation is to secure funding for eight buildings of 12 units in each in order to continue to increase the program’s capacity to assist those recently discharged patients experiencing homelessness. The solution is working, however one building is not enough. We must drastically increase the number of second chances being given.
Your support is needed more than ever. According to a recent city report, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton has doubled since 2020…and is expected to increase further.
Please give generously today and help us provide more second chances for Edmontonians experiencing homelessness.
