Pathways to Housing

The Pathways to Housing Program (Pathways or P2H) was added to Radius’s array of programs and services in 2009. Both the Government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton identified “Pathways to Housing” as a key strategy in their respective ’10 Year Plan to End Homelessness’, and Radius with it’s expertise and successful history of delivering Primary Health Care and Health Promotion programs for the last 30 years to the target population, was the logical choice to implement the program in Edmonton. Pathways to Housing specifically targets chronically homeless persons who are disabled by serious mental illness and addiction, made even more complex with a multitude of health and social issues.

Based on a model developed and implemented in New York City by Dr. Sam Tsemberis, Pathways to Housing is now an internationally recognized “best evidence-informed practice” for its sustainable success in ending homelessness and supporting recovery with 85% housing retention standard.

Pathways incorporates Housing First principles – first taking care of the very basics by providing immediate access to permanent community-based scattered-site apartment living. This “scattered site” model fosters a sense of home and self-determination, and helps speed the reintegration of “Pathways” clients into the community. To help sustain housing, the clients receive supportive treatment services in the areas of mental and physical health, substance abuse, education, and employment, provided by a professional Assertive Community Treatment(ACT)team. The ACT team provides services in the home/community, with 24/7 on-call availability.