Unique program ‘showing astounding success’ getting chronic homeless off street

They say “it takes a village” and it’s certainly the case when it comes to solving the issue of homelessness.

The Old Brewery Mission has decided to bring the village under its roof.

Its new program “Suivi Intensif en Itinérance”  has been around for over a year and according to the Mission, “it’s showing astounding success.”

The program brings together a multi-disciplinary team of social workers, mental health experts, criminologists – all under one roof.

READ MORE: Montreal’s underemployed struggle for support: ‘There is no service for that’

Elysé Timothé, 32, lived on the streets for 10 years.

He has now been with the program for five months.

“This is the solution because now I’m having an apartment in about one week,” Timothé said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is the solution because now I'm having an apartment in about one week," Timothé said.

The Old Brewery Mission works in partnership with the CHUM.

They have a psychiatrist and a nurse on staff.

Experts say mental health issues are often at the heart of homelessness.

Tackling that is the first step and this program is doing so by bringing services to the homeless.

WATCH: Meet a few of the team members that are part of the program to get homeless off the streets and get to know a bit about their role. 

1:21 Unique program helping get chronic homeless off the streets

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“Once we bring them in the office, sometimes we start a medication with the doctor and then slowly, we see them start to live again,” clinical nurse Caroline Beauchamp-Marois said.

“We see so many miracles here.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We see so many miracles here."

The program has outreach workers out on the streets, talking to some of the most challenging homeless people.

“They found me in the park and they brought me here,” Timothé said.

The Mission is treating about 80 cases like Timothé’s and says it has about an 80 per cent success rate. Staff say it’s due to strict follow up. Once mental health is addressed, staff help clients find housing.

“We’re talking about moving people from homelessness back in the community, being housed and being stable,” the Old Brewery Mission’s CEO Matthew Pearce said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're talking about moving people from homelessness back in the community, being housed and being stable," the Old Brewery Mission's CEO Matthew Pearce said.

The group says it’s managed to help some of the most challenging cases.

The Mission is hoping the program can be used as a model nationwide.

Accueil Bonneau, another community organization working with the homeless, has also partnered up with the CHUM. It’s getting ready to provide similar services.