Barrier-free care for those homeless or under-housed

Street Health has welcomed clients, community partners, funders and supporters to an Open House and ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open its newly accessible Coach House. This renovation enables an enhanced level of care to clients with private, well-equipped space to meet one-on-one with a nurse or community mental health worker.

Toronto’s homeless and under housed individuals face many health inequities. states Kapri Rabin, Executive Director of Street Health. “The barriers of homelessness include income disparity, food insecurity, and multiple health challenges. At Street Heath we are working diligently to remove these barriers. By creating an accessible physical space for clients is essential to improving access to nursing and community mental health case management supports for our clients.”

  • Street Health clients’ reflect Canada’s aging population, who increasingly require accessible facilities
  • This level of care and access is what most of us take for granted
  • This wheelchair accessible space helps further the work of Street Health’s nursing and community mental health teams.

In 2014, Street Health received a $97,300 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to help with the renovations to the Coach House.

“I am delighted Street Heath is continuing their commitment to improve the health and well-being of residents of Toronto Centre with the opening of the newly accessible Coach House. Through their many programs, Street Health has assisted countless numbers of homeless and under-housed residents of downtown Toronto. I am truly pleased to see the Ontario Trillium Foundation contribute to the legacy of Street Health and their excellent work of improving the lives of the most vulnerable in our community.”           – Glen Murray, MPP for Toronto Centre

“Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Echo Foundation, Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network and the James Rutley Grand Memorial Fund this accessible facility ensures Street Health will continue to work toward our vision of a healthy community where all members have equitable access to housing, income, quality health care and services necessary to achieve optimal health and well-being,” states Samara Starkman, Board Chair. 

For 30 years Street Health has worked to improve the health and wellbeing of people who are homeless and under housed providing nursing, community mental health, identification replacement, ID safe, harm reduction and peer programs. Street Health works with over 3500 individuals annually.

Kapri Rabin is Executive Director, Street Health