Integrated Participant Care

The Squamish Helping Hands Society ("Society") was incorporated on October 27, 2006. The Society provides gateway services to help participants break the cycle of homelessness and hunger through appropriate housing and food programs and services, and to provide essential services to meet their immediate needs for overnight shelter, basic nutrition, hygiene and safety. In our new location at Under One Roof we provide a variety of programs and services: Under One Roof Facility: (A Community Hub) Squamish Helping Hands Society partnered with BC Housing, the District of Squamish, and other local collaborators to create a new community facility in Squamish called “Under One Roof.” The District of Squamish provided the land and BC Housing provided the lion’s share of construction capital with a capital contribution made by the Society. Design and planning began in 2017 with the Society serving as a conduit through which BC Housing funded most of the project expenses including engineering and environmental consultants. The facility at 37871 Third Avenue was completed and ready for occupancy in September 2020. Under One Roof opened its doors to the community in October 2020. All SHHS programs were moved from their current/previous locations into the new facility by October 31, 2020. The underpinning concept for Under One Roof was to centralize programs, services, and partners to better serve the at risk and homeless population in Sea to Sky Corridor. The integration of partners, services and programs was designed to make accessing help easier and more streamlined for the intended participants and to welcome and encourage community action and support through volunteerism. The values and approaches embedded in the Society’s vision are interlocking and work together toward our backbone philosophy: As we help people build their capacity, we in turn help to decrease dependency, inspiring growth and productivity. It starts with respecting each induvial enough to trust **they** **can do** for themselves - with our support and care if needed - and that if we don’t do that, we are essentially generating a dependency that is detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the individuals we serve. At Under One Roof the Society provides five main pillars of service to people struggling with poverty, housing unaffordability, homelessness and a variety of other significant barriers to independence such as health, mental illness, and substance use. Within each service pillar are the following programs and services: 1) **Food** - The society provides a variety food programs & services within its newly formed Community Food Hub at Under One Roof. The Hub incorporates a partnership with the Squamish Food Bank Society (“SFBS”) who operate the onsite Market (previously referred to as Food Bank). Using food to its best and highest purpose, rescued food is incorporated into many of the food programs. Taking a **_Food Justice Approach_** we support secure access to nutritious food promoting food as a human right. Programs included in the hub: on site meal service, school breakfast & lunch programs, The Market, Meals on Wheels, Food box program etc. 2) **Shelter** - Implementing a **_Housing First Approach_**, eliminating barriers to housing as much as possible, SHHS provides a variety of shelter/housing options, including Transitional Housing (THP) as well as the previously established Emergency Shelter (ESP) and Extreme Weather Programs (EWP). All three programs are essential services which include meals, survival supplies, support services and referrals. The THP also includes more in-depth program options such as Personal Development services. 3) **Community** - The society strives to build community and connection for folks struggling with mental health and substance use issues as well as the many other barriers to independence which are often isolating and insurmountable without program specific intervention. Taking a **_Trauma Informed Approach_** participants are invited to make deeper community connections with the aim of being able to integrate into the social fabric of their community in meaningful ways and healing ways. 4) **Purpose **- The society is committed to helping people with barriers gain independence and agency. Employing a **_Capacity Building Approach_** the society offers a variety of opportunities and tools - case planning, goal setting, on site clinical care, wellness programs, volunteer and work programs - to help folks gain the agency, education and tools they need to succeed. In this way the society definitively invests time and resources to help people increase their capacity and gain renewed self worth, a sense of purpose and pride toward recovery & independence which has the positive outcome of decreasing dependency. **5) Health - **The society is concerned with the physical health and wellbeing of each individual we serve. Ultimately life savi