The old saying that housing is healthcare isn’t just a catchy phrase in Edmonton anymore.
Standing on the edge of a new affordable housing development in the Strathcona neighbourhood yesterday, I watched as healthcare workers and housing advocates celebrated what they’re calling a breakthrough approach to addressing homelessness in Alberta’s capital.
“We’re building bridges, not just housing,” said Dr. Melissa Townsend, lead physician with Edmonton’s Hospital Housing Initiative. “For too many years, we’ve discharged vulnerable patients from hospital beds straight back to shelters or worse – the streets.”
The Edmonton Bridge to Home program, launched this week with $4.2 million in provincial funding, aims to end this revolving door by directly connecting homeless patients with housing upon hospital discharge.
The initiative comes as Edmonton grapples with a homeless population that’s grown by nearly 32% since 2019, according to the Edmonton Homeless Count conducted last fall. More troubling still, emergency room visits by homeless individuals have increased by 28% during the same period, data from Alberta Health Services reveals.
For Carol Matthews, a community health nurse who’s worked in Edmonton’s inner city for 15 years, the program represents a fundamental shift in approach.
“We’ve been treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause,” Matthews told me after the announcement. “Someone comes in with pneumonia, we treat them, discharge them to the same conditions that made them sick, and then wonder why they’re back three weeks later.”
The housing-first approach isn’t new. What’s different about Edmonton’s program is the direct integration with hospital discharge planning. Every participating patient will work with a dedicated support team before leaving the hospital, including a housing coordinator, social worker, and community health nurse.
According to provincial housing data, approximately 2,800 Edmontonians are experiencing homelessness on any given night. More concerning is that about 40% of this population has at least one chronic health condition requiring ongoing medical care.
Sam Reynolds knows this reality all too well. After losing his job and apartment three years ago, the 58-year-old former construction worker found himself cycling between emergency shelters and hospital beds.
“I’ve been admitted seven times in the last year,” Reynolds shared while attending the program launch. “My diabetes got out of control living in shelters. Can’t keep medication cold, can’t eat right, can’t rest properly.”
Reynolds is among the first 30 participants in the Bridge to Home program. He’ll move into a new supportive housing unit next week, where on-site health workers will help manage his medical needs.
The program isn’t just about compassion – it’s about costs. A single hospital bed in Alberta runs about $1,800 per day. Supporting someone in permanent housing with wrap-around services costs roughly $70 daily, according to figures presented at yesterday’s announcement.
“This approach will save our healthcare system millions while giving dignity back to our most vulnerable neighbours,” said Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who attended the launch. “It’s the definition of a win-win solution.”
Not everyone is convinced. Some community members at yesterday’s event questioned whether the 120 housing units allocated to the program will be enough to make a meaningful dent in the problem.
“It’s a good start, but we need to be talking thousands of units, not hundreds,” said Terry Jackson, director of the Boyle Street Community Services outreach team. “And we need to address why people become homeless in the first place – poverty, mental health, addictions.”
The provincial government defends the program’s scale as appropriate for a pilot initiative. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, speaking at the launch, emphasized the evidence-based approach.
“We’re starting with a manageable number to ensure we get the model right,” LaGrange said. “If the data shows the success we expect, expansion will absolutely be on the table.”
That data will be closely monitored. The University of Alberta’s School of Public Health will track healthcare utilization, housing stability, and quality of life metrics for program participants over the next three years.
Dr. Hassan Ahmed, an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, believes the program’s success will be measured in faces no longer seen in the ER.
“I know patients by name now who I shouldn’t,” Ahmed said during a panel discussion following the announcement. “They’re not coming to the emergency department because they want to – they’re coming because we’ve failed to address their actual needs.”
The initiative brings together funding from the province, operational support from Alberta Health Services, and housing units from Homeward Trust Edmonton. What makes it unique is the cross-sector collaboration, according to Susan McGee, CEO of Homeward Trust.
“We’ve tried housing programs, we’ve tried healthcare outreach, but we’ve rarely managed to truly integrate them at the systems level,” McGee explained. “That’s the innovation here.”
For everyday Edmontonians, the program represents a practical approach to a visible crisis that has intensified post-pandemic. Encampments have become more common throughout the city, including in affluent neighbourhoods like Oliver and Glenora.
“We can’t police our way out of homelessness,” noted Edmonton Police Service Deputy Chief Devin Laforce, who also attended the launch. “Our officers spend countless hours responding to calls involving unhoused individuals who need healthcare and housing, not handcuffs.”
As snow flurries began falling on the gathering, I couldn’t help but think about the approaching winter. Temperatures in Edmonton regularly drop below -30°C, making homelessness not just uncomfortable but potentially deadly.
For the 120 individuals who will benefit from this program this year, it might literally be lifesaving. For the thousands still without homes, it represents a promising model that could eventually be scaled to meet the full scope of the crisis.
The Bridge to Home program begins accepting patients this week, with the first housing placements scheduled for early December.
