Supportive Housing

Supportive housing refers to housing programs that have a combination of housing assistance (e.g., rent-geared-to-income and rent supplements) and wrap-around support services (e.g., counselling, addictions support, peer support, and activities of daily living). Supportive housing programs serve a wide range of clients including people at-risk of homelessness, people with physical disabilities, cognitive impairment, and/or mental health and substance use challenges.

New data has found that approximately 2/3 of people experiencing homelessness have a current mental health and/or substance use disorder, and 3/4 have had a mental health and/or substance use disorder at some point. People with serious mental illness and/or substance use challenges greatly benefit from support services, coupled with the stability and safety provided by permanent housing.

However, there is a severe shortage of supportive housing available in Ontario. The wait list for mental health and addictions supportive housing in Toronto alone is 27,000. AMHO has called on all levels of government to build at least 40,000 units of supportive housing to address the needs of Ontarians.

Supportive Housing Policy Paper

Supportive housing continues to be a key priority for AMHO and our membership. In partnership with our members who provide supportive housing services across the province, AMHO developed a research and policy paper that provides an overview of Ontario’s mental health and addictions supportive housing landscape, best practices from other jurisdictions, and evidence-informed policy recommendations that aim to create a sustainable and resilient sector that addresses the housing and mental health and addictions needs of our province.

There are recommendations for all levels of government on ways to increase the supply of housing, address the repair backlog for existing units, improve the funding and administration of supportive housing programs, and establish consistent and standardized capacity and waitlist planning.

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Promising Practices

This resource guide documents 12 examples of promising practices in supportive housing for people with mental health and addiction issues from across Ontario.

Each case study has a distinct approach, but common themes were identified across these twelve specific examples – regarding supports, housing and partnerships. In addition to those themes, the challenges and successes demonstrated through the case studies pointed to system level implications and opportunities for improvements across the sector including more affordable housing, further standardization in some areas, and enhanced system coordination.

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“Without mental health, there can be no true physical health.” Dr. Brock Chisholm Canadian Psychiatrist First Director-General of the World Health Organization

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