About Health Access St. James Town
What is Health Access St. James Town
Health Access St. James Town (HASJT) is a pioneering community-based model of localized service coordination and collaboration, where highly skilled and friendly intake workers connect residents to health and social services of 15+ different partner organizations and beyond, through a single intake process. This intake happens at The St. James Town Community Corner (The Corner) and 5 other sites in the St. James Town neighbourhood.
The Corner, an inclusive community hub, is the primary site from which HASJT operates. This has strengthened the this localized model with The Corner being the “hardware” and HASJT, the “software”.
Our Commitment
The Health Access St. James Town Leadership Table of 15+ organisations co-chaired by Sherbourne Health and The Neighborhood Organisation has made a commitment that residents of St. James Town will be meaningfully connected to services that they need within two business days.
Our History
A fire devastated one of the largest Toronto Community Housing buildings in the neighbourhood in 2010. During this period, it was identified that many residents struggled with having their various needs met –prescription refills, support for mental health, housing and accommodation support, food security, income support etc. This highlighted a gap in service coordination although there were many service organisations in the neighbourhood.
The Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network worked with a group of service providers to address this gap and support the creation of a service coordination model that would help people to be meaningfully connected to services in a localized and expedited manner. There were numerous consultations with the community to understand their needs better and determine the model of service coordination. The Health Access St. James Town model was piloted in 2013 and was consolidated in 2014.
Get connected to the HASJT intake team
Poll
How The Model Works
One evening around 6 pm, a resident walks in to The Corner looking for support services for himself and the family members. He is greeted by the lobby worker at the front desk and given an introduction and orientation to all programs available at The Corner. He is then referred to the Health Access intake worker who is onsite.
The client and his family have claimed asylum in Canada four months prior and he is looking for assistance to apply for a work permit. He was a chef in his country of origin and he wants to continue to work as a chef in Canada. His plan is to follow a course on culinary sciences and find a job in the same field.
During the intake assessment he shared that one of his children is struggling with some medical issues and the family has been struggling to adjust to the new environment. They are finding parenting in Canada a challenge.
Through a single intake, the worker makes a referral to three services – to TNO for settlement services and help to apply for a work permit, finding out how to apply to college and for child care benefit, to Sherbourne Health for primary care for his child and his family and to SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health, Prevention and Early Intervention services for the family to get support on parenting, family counseling and support group programs. An advantage is that many Health Access Partners also provide services onsite at The Corner in addition to their primary locations of service.
The client is also able to register his kids for arts and crafts and other fun activities at The Corner which have been led by volunteers in the community.
Health Access St. James Town Partners
Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services
Employment, housing and Senior Services.
Dixon Hall Neighborhood Services began as a soup kitchen in 1929, and since then has been steadily increasing and strengthening a diverse range of integrated services for residents of east downtown Toronto. Their main goal is to create lasting solutions to end poverty, social injustices and social isolation in Toronto.
Fred Victor
Housing, Health Care
Fred Victor is a social service charitable organization established in 1894 that fosters long-lasting and effective changes in the lives of homeless and low-income people living across Toronto. Their programs and services are mainly focused on providing housing and shelters for people who live in extreme poverty, health care services and various training programs for those seeking sustainable jobs.
Hospice Toronto
Palliative Care
Since 1988, Hospice Toronto has served 11,811 clients. By providing and advancing compassionate care and leadership in the volunteer-based, home hospice community, Hospice Toronto has become a recognized leader in providing high-quality, hospice care and support for people through all phases of their life-threatening illness, and their loved ones, at no charge.
Toronto Central LHIN
Home and Community Care
Remaining committed to advancing an inclusive and integrated health system centred around the diverse needs of the people they serve. Achieving goals is best accomplished by focusing the collective efforts on a single mission and that mission is integration. This is the call to action. When the system is connected, people receive better care and providers will find it easier to deliver that care.
St. Michael's Sumac Creek
Health Centre
Family health teams are primary health care organizations, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, that include a team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, dietitians, and other professionals who work together to provide primary health care for their community. They ensure that people receive the care they need, as each team is set-up based on local health and community needs.
SickKids
Pediatrics & Health Care
The SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health (SickKids CCMH), formerly known as The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, founded in 1998 in Toronto, is a community of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine (Department of Psychiatry) and Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. It helps 6,000 children and families each year through a combination of prevention, treatment, research and education activities.
Sherbourne Health
Co-Lead Health Access
A non-profit community organization founded in 2002, providing accessible and effective primary health care to the people who may have been under-served by conventional health in southeast Toronto such as homeless/under-housed, LGBTQ and newcomers. They offer counseling, health promotion, outreach, advocacy, education, research and development, peer support groups and arts-based programming.
Renascent
Toronto Addiction Rehab
Renascent is a leading addiction treatment centre offering drug, alcohol, and food addiction rehab programs and services in Toronto and the GTA. Seeking drug or alcohol treatment for yourself or a loved one can be one of the most difficult and important decisions of your life. In Canada, there are no regulations or overseeing governing bodies ensuring treatment centres are operating appropriately.
Progress Place
Mental Health & Wellness
Progress Place is a mental health and wellness organization which first opened as a part-time drop-in centre in North York (1976). Since 1983, by launching a supported housing program, as well as a transitional employment program it has been providing part-time supported employment to people with severe and persistent mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Depression and Anxiety.
The Corner
Primary site for HASJT
The Corner is a fully accessible set of offices, meeting spaces, program rooms and community kitchen dedicated to local initiatives and services to benefit the neighbourhood. This collaboration between residents, public and private funders and service providers is a unique St. James Town community success story.
TNO - The Neighbourhood Organization
Co-Lead Health Access
Formerly known as Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office, is a community based multicultural, multi-service agency providing community-based services to residents of Thorncliffe Park and surrounding communities in Toronto. It is founded in 1985 and its main goal is to build safe and healthy communities through supporting and strengthening the quality of individual and community life in the areas they serve.
The Neighbourhood Group
Charitable Organization
The Neighbourhood Group, a fusion of Neighbourhood Link Support Services and Central Neighbourhood House, is a Toronto-based charitable organization with a 107-year history. Our vibrant, multi-service agency provides a wide range of programs and services that create opportunities to improve and enhance people’s lives and help them to live independently and with dignity in the community.
Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Public Housing
A public housing agency founded in 2002, funded by Toronto and the Government of Ontario. It is the second-largest housing provider in North America with over 58,000 units of housing and an estimated 164,000 tenants. The agency owns more than 2200 buildings including high, mid, and low-rise apartments, townhomes and houses. It is an agency of the City of Toronto.
Toronto Public Health
Public Health Department
Toronto Public Health (TPH) reports to the Board of Health and is responsible for the health and well-being of all 2.9 million residents. TPH has focused on protecting and promoting the health of Toronto residents since 1883.
Women's Health in Women's Hands
Women’s Health, Newcomer
A Community Health Centre, founded in 1987, for racialized women living in Toronto and surrounding municipalities. The main focus of their health care team is on health and wellness of women who face racism and inequality by prioritizing those from African, Caribbean, Latin American and South Asian communities. Their services are fully accessible and designed to address the barriers that prevent women from being in excellent health.
Youthdale Treatment Centres
Pediatrics and Health Care
A non-profit, charitable community agency established in 1969 in Toronto. It is funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. They serve all children and families, regardless of race, creed, ethnic origin or financial circumstances. Youthdale's clinical services include outpatient consultation, residential treatment, and psychiatric crisis response.
Other Initiatives by HASJT
Spring Gathering
This is an annual community consultation event led and hosted by HASJT, in partnership with the St. James Town Service Providers’ Network and community residents. There is a planning committee of residents and service providers that coordinate all aspects of the event which happens at the local school in the neighbourhood. Issues, concerns, and community assets are discussed in detail through facilitated table discussions in various languages (Tamil, Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic, Mandarin, English, etc.). Through these discussions, the community of residents, service providers and other stakeholders develop plans of actions to address concerns and utilize our collective assets. The event is also an important time for community to connect with one another, celebrate milestones and progress made throughout the years.
Community Supports following a Crisis
HASJT leads and coordinates a community support response in St. James Town after a critical incident that disturbs and affects the psycho-social wellbeing of many residents. This is not an Emergency Crisis Response Strategy, but a strategy to provide supports to the community in a coordinated manner, after a crisis in the community has occurred. Supports include, for example, outreach, counseling, referrals, debriefing. Partner organizations assign contact staff to this protocol and the Health Access Intake Team coordinates the staffing and issues the call-out following a critical incident, including, but not limited to a sudden death, suicide, assault etc., Point staff set up outreach spots/tables in affected building’s lobbies 48-72 hours after the crisis. Grief counselling support is should be focused on connecting 1:1 to residents who have been directly affected.