Empower Simcoe and Mackenzie Health officials put shovels in the ground on Monday to ceremonially begin construction of a new "supported living treatment home" called Lakeshore Ridge, which will be built on Lakeshore Road in Oro-Medonte Township.
The 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will house six individuals with complex disabilities and is expected to open in the spring of 2022 once construction is complete.
“Empower Simcoe provides services for all people of all abilities, and one of the gaps in our service system between health, community, and social services, are individuals with multiple complex needs, including individuals with forensic or justice needs,” said Empower Simcoe chief operating officer Claudine Cousins.
“It doesn’t make sense to have those people at Waypoint (Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene). It’s way too expensive and sometimes not appropriate to their needs, but it’s also not appropriate to have them in the community because community safety is important as well as the person’s ability to live a good life. So, we are looking at bridging the gap between the two," she explained.
The home has been funded through a capital fundraising campaign, and the home will be staffed by a collaboration of health services workers, Cousins says.
“In working with behaviour health (officials with) Mackenzie Health from York Region, ourselves, and the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services, who is funding us, we decided through our foundation, who put down the seed money for this, to build a designated treatment program,” she said.
Jim Hughes, the director of the Centre for Behaviour Health Sciences at Mackenzie Health, says the home will be an asset for the Simcoe County region.
“A society should really measure itself based on how it treats its most vulnerable people, and we do well with how we treat most people, but there are slivers of the population who have complex needs whether it be medical, behavioural, or psychiatric. A building like this is essential to make sure no one falls through the cracks,” he said.
Cousins says the Lakeshore Road location fits perfectly for the home's environment.
“We believe it needs to be in an environment that provides a bit of tranquillity,” she said. “These individuals need an environment that is not only nurturing to their mental health, but also provides space to what is not concrete driven like in the city; this is much more of a natural environment.”
Individuals who are selected to reside at the home will be determined based on need, she said.
“We support Simcoe County, and Mackenzie Health supports people from York and Simcoe, so we could have anyone from anywhere in the province if the need is there and we are best equipped to support them,” Cousins said.
“For too long, people have tried to put square pegs into round holes. This is about matching people’s needs, it’s totally individualized,” Hughes added.
Oro-Medonte Township Mayor Harry Hughes says the new home warms his heart.
“What happens in society is when children are younger, they get all sorts of support, and then all of a sudden the support gets cut off,” Hughes said.
“There is such a need for something meaningful to happen, and when I see a group such as this one working together to provide this kind of support, and to see another facility happening in Oro-Medonte, I can tell you it not only makes me as Mayor proud, but it makes all of Oro-Medonte proud.”
The new facility is located at 2553 Lakeshore Rd. E., near Line 13 South.
