200 Larch Construction and News Updates

Issue No. 1 – Home for Good Program (November 2018) 

In 2017, the Canadian Mental Health Association – Sudbury/Manitoulin (CMHA-S/M), in collaboration with the City of Greater Sudbury, submitted an application to the province of Ontario requesting $2,250,000 in funding to support partial construction costs associated with the extensive renovations of 200 Larch St. in downtown Sudbury. The requested amount was granted in full through the Home for Good program.

Subsequent to the completion of renovations, 200 Larch  will become a center that will service individuals residing in the City of Greater Sudbury. The building will provide a permanent location for the Off The Street Emergency Shelter, CMHA’s Harm Reduction Home, Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinic, and other services and programs for Sudbury’s marginalized populations. The resources and programs available through 200 Larch Street Place will provide service to individuals struggling with chronic homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental illness.

Consolidating with many partners, CMHA-S/M will achieve several community, functional, program and operational objectives that are currently lacking as options in the existing accommodation of residential and health services. The goal of 200 Larch is to keep individuals safe, stabilize and improve their overall health status and support these individuals to transition to other services and housing within the community.

Issue No. 2 – 200 Larch Construction to Begin in the New Year (December 2019)

CMHA- S/M is eager to announce that construction at 200 Larch Street is expected to commence early in the New Year.

The renovation and retrofit of 200 Larch Street is Phase 1 of the Home For Good project, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Housing. The completed building will provide a permanent location for the Off The Street Shelter, Harm Reduction Home, Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics’ third location, as well as other services and programs for Greater Sudbury’s marginalized populations.

The Off The Street Shelter is a low-barrier program that provides temporary cots and a warm, safe place to sleep for homeless individuals throughout the winter months. The Off The Street Shelter program offers hot meals, activities, and connections to services to persons who are under the influence or otherwise disconnected from mainstream shelter services, however alcohol and drugs are not permitted on the premises. OTS offers services from 8:30pm-8am from November to April.

The Harm Reduction Home provides a continuum of services and support to individuals struggling with homelessness, and substance use disorders. The services provided include: shelter, meals, primary care, mental health and supportive counselling, housing support and case management services. Individuals who become clients of the Managed Alcohol Program reside in a safe and secure residence and receive a specific amount of alcohol daily within the facility where they are housed. Support is provided 24 hours per day.

The Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics offers comprehensive primary health care to individuals of all ages using an inter-disciplinary approach. Appointments are a mix of scheduled and same day spots for a wide variety of health conditions. SDNPC also offers group classes for patients, foot care, counselling through a social worker, nutritional counselling and more.

CMHA- S/M’s objectives for 200 Larch Street Place are to remove barriers by providing one location with shared resources and services for individuals struggling with mental illness, substance use disorders, and chronic homelessness. 200 Larch Street Place will meet local needs through collective impact and integrated service delivery for individuals. After the completion of the scheduled major renovations at 200 Larch Street, we anticipate a reduced number of Emergency Department visits, reduced police phone calls, increased affordable and stable housing, as well as increased primary care services for individuals.

CMHA- S/M is very enthusiastic about this project and the impact it will have on our community. We will continue to provide updates with future progress of Phase 1, in addition to providing more information regarding Phase 2.

Issue No. 3 – 200 Larch Ground Breaking Ceremony (January 2019) 

Earlier this week, the Canadian Mental Health Association – Sudbury/Manitoulin (CMHA-S/M) held a ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate 200 Larch, a new community hub in downtown Sudbury that will include much needed community-based services for people who are difficult to house or who face challenges getting access to service.

The construction is the first phase of the Home For Good project, funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Housing. When complete, 200 Larch Street Place will be a permanent site for CMHA’s Off The Street shelter and harm reduction home, as well as a nurse practitioner clinic and other services and programs for marginalized populations.

The ceremony made headlines in several local media outlets. For more information on the event and the plans for 200 Larch Street Place, check out the news coverage from CTV, sudbury.com and the Sudbury Star.

Issue No. 4 – Construction Update (March 2019) 

CMHA- S/M is eager to announce that construction at 200 Larch has commenced on March 25^th, 2019.

In March 2019 CMHA- S/M hired Prosperi Co. to complete the general construction of 200 Larch. Since that time, things are moving along well on-site and progressing quickly.

200 Larch will greatly benefit our community. Apart from the benefits of the programs and services offered onsite, the many safety improvements being made to the interior and exterior of the building will generate positive change for residents, business owners, and anyone visiting Downtown.

The Sudbury community will notice favourable shifts as a result of increased lighting onsite, regular sweeps of the property, greater security measures, additional surveillance cameras, etc. Engaging with Greater Sudbury Police Services and following Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles, we are hopeful that 200 Larch  will be a welcome addition to the downtown core.

Supplementary interior demolition has been completed at 200 Larch, in addition to the completion of the roof and other structural aspects of the building. We are working to meet our deadlines and are confident that the building will be ready for the Off The Street Emergency Shelter to open on November 1^st, 2019, with the entire building being operational by February 2020.

For specific inquiries, please contact Amanda Roy at [email protected]

Issue No. 5 – Harm Reduction at 200 Larch (April 2019) 

The opening of 200 Larch  will provide a permanent location, as well as allowing for an expansion, of CMHA- S/M’s Harm Reduction Home.

The Harm Reduction Home is a residential program that supports individuals 24 hours a day who are 19 years of age or older, chronic users of alcohol, experience homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, and have chronic physical health concerns which put their personal safety at risk. Following a harm-reduction philosophy, the program provides wraparound services including shelter, meals, primary care, medication administration, mental health supports, counselling, housing resources and case management services.

Individualized care planning assists individuals to work towards personal goals and enhanced physical and psychological wellbeing through a person centred approach that meets them where they are at. While the abstinence model works for many, for some the ability to abstain from drinking is not feasible. Individuals who become clients of the Managed Alcohol Program reside in a safe environment where alcohol is administered on a daily basis by medical personnel as per a schedule determined by a physician’s medical assessment and direction.

The Harm Reduction Home program works to reduce the harms associated with consuming non-beverage forms of alcohol such as mouthwash, hand sanitizer and more. The program is staffed with qualified medical and social support personnel that oversee the individuals to ensure their day-to-day and primary care needs are being met.

“The program is nice. It helped me slow down on my drinking. I like the people, they are like family” said a resident of the Harm Reduction Home.