BridgeHealingTransitionalAccommodationProgram

Homeless people who have been in the emergency department of Edmonton's five hospitals now have the hope of a place to go to when they are released from ER. A team of students at the University of Alberta who took Dr. Louis Francescutti's advocacy class had an idea for transitional accommodation for homeless people when they are released from ER. The idea became a reality when the Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation Program was launched with 12-unit building in March 2023 and two more buildings in the fall of that year. The program now has 36 beds to offer in the three building and two more 12-unit buildings will open in 2025. According to studies elsewhere showing that on average per person, trips to the ER were reduced by 40 per cent with the introduction of stable housing, with an annual cost savings of $24,000 per person.

Dr. Francescutti said studies elsewhere show that on average per person, trips to the ER were reduced by 40 per cent with the introduction of stable housing and he believes the Bridge Healing initiative is having a ripple effect, freeing up ambulances and reducing emergency department wait times.