The Ontario government recently announced the details of a new, $200 million funding initiative. It’s intended to improve primary health care delivery for Windsor’s unhoused community. The government intends to pay Windsor Shelter Health Associates a maximum of $3.8 million. This amazing organization is on the front lines working to deliver critical health care services directly to people living in homeless shelters and those who are actively moving in and out of housing.
Dr. Jennifer Bondy, a key figure in this initiative, has been offering health-care services to the city’s homeless population since 2021. At first, she did this work as a volunteer while working fulltime for the Canadian Mental Health Association. She has a tremendous passion for this at-risk population. Her work received a lot of praise, especially during the rollout of the Homeless Shelter Alternate Payment Plan at the start of 2024. This capitated funding model allows physicians to be compensated on their time spent with patients and the complexity of their patients’ needs.
Comprehensive Care for Vulnerable Populations
An integral part of provision of primary and preventative health care to the local homeless population. As the very grassroots organization moves directly into practice at several sites. These range from the Salvation Army Men’s Emergency Shelter to the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4), the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, the Downtown Mission of Windsor, and Journey Home Hospice.
Dr. Bondy mentioned that her team consists of a wide variety of specialists. Other than myself, a family physician, our family-centered team includes addiction medicine physicians, palliative care physicians, an infectious disease specialist, and psychiatrist. This collaborative, multidisciplinary approach enables them to tackle some of the most pervasive social and health issues affecting their patients today.
Dr. Bondy mentioned that they have now grown from three half-day clinics per week. Today, they run over 20 half-day clinics on five varied sites. Unfortunately, these 55–57 daily visits don’t fully reflect the massive expansion this grant affords her team to serve close to 200 folks in need of primary health services. Together, each month they serve approximately 200 unique patients.
Addressing Long-Term Challenges
The Windsor Essex By-Names Prioritized List for permanent housing illustrates the urgent need for permanent housing and supportive services. It shows that 899 households are literally homeless right now. Alarmingly, 75.8 percent of these households are experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness.
Dr. Bondy underscored the need for long-term follow-up care for these people. “I used to see a lot of wound care at the very beginning before we were funded in any way,” she explained. Currently, we’re able to routinely schedule visits with people to check in and manage their chronic health conditions like diabetes. If an individual is living with a primary psychiatric diagnosis such as schizophrenia, we can deliver highly specialized support—thus fundamentally transforming the way we deliver care.
Nicole Sbrocca, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association for Windsor and Essex County, strongly supported the new funding program. She hopes it will serve a greater purpose in the community. She continued, “When holistic care meets people where they are at, we prevent crises. This feeling highlights the important connection between access to health care and community health.
Building Trust and Community
Public health services are integral in rebuilding and sustaining our country’s economy. In doing so, they build trust within the community and strengthen the social fabric that goes along with it. In describing their work, Dr. Bondy urged listeners to consider the wider implications of their work. Through that work, “we establish trust,” he said, “and we produce healthier people and a more vibrant community.”
Windsor Shelter Health Associates is doing serious and intentional work to accomplish their mission. Dr. Bondy further noted that this funding gives them the flexibility to really plan for the future. “We know we can future plan, and we can ensure that we have programs that are developed with our partners knowing that we’re going to be able to continue to do the work that we’re doing,” she added.
