Not all heroes wear capes.
Last year, some of Homewood Health Centre’s (HHC) year-round community heroes were recognized for their impactful community service as part of Tim Hortons’ “Tims for Good” Campaign. Beneath the gifts of sweet treats delivered to our 147 Delhi Street office is a story of building community resilience through knowledge and hope.
Under the HHC’s range of Regional Services, the Community Addiction Services (CADS) and Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACTT) teams provide essential mental health and addiction services to clients of the Guelph-Wellington Region. Throughout the year, these teams help clients to function optimally in the community through education, outreach, and outpatient programming.
CADS provides a range of confidential outpatient services for individuals and families with concerns relating to substance use, overuse of technology, gaming, and/or gambling. These include assessments and referrals to community resources, counselling sessions, community health promotions, and educational support.
For those impacted by severe and persistent mental health illnesses, the ACTT provides client-centred, highly individualized treatment, support, and rehabilitation, helping clients to achieve quality-of-life and independent living goals. Through two multi-disciplinary teams- ACTT Fergus and ACTT Guelph, clients receive a range of supports from crisis assessment and intervention, supportive counselling, life skills teaching, continuity of care and advocacy to name a few.
Both the CADS and ACTT outpatient programs at Homewood Health Centre are publicly funded through the Ministry of Health.
When it comes to being deeply invested in the work they do, Carla Jordan, CADS Clinical Operations and Program Manager, says “CADS staff are passionate about the work they do. We are honoured to be part of our clients’ journey. We are inspired daily by their resilience and courage, despite the many stigmas they face. We are thankful to be recognized for the Tims for Good campaign.” Doug Mason, ACTT Program Manager, agrees with this rewarding feeling that the job brings – “Our staff feel a sense of gratitude for the work they get to do in supporting clients to live independently in the community. At the end of the day, it is rewarding to feel like you’re making a positive difference in people’s lives.”
The CADS and ACTT teams also support numerous community initiatives. These include Drug Poisoning Awareness Day (Formally Overdose Awareness Day) events in Mount Forest and Guelph during the month of August, crisis intervention training sessions, the Mayor of Guelph’s annual World Mental Health Day event, and career and education sessions facilitated by the Career Education Council and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) and Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB).
Together with the wider Regional Services family, the teams host staff food donation drives for the Guelph Food Bank and even work on a community garden called the “Thrive Hive” garden – a Regional Services project that supports clients experiencing food insecurity. They also work with HHC’s One Healthy Homewood Guelph Working Group to distribute gifts of warmth to clients in need of new winter essentials.
The CADS and ACTT teams are eager to continue performing meaningful work that supports the Health Centre’s goal of consistently delivering a people-centred approach to mental health and addiction treatment.
We are indeed proud of these community heroes who generously give knowledge, support, and hope to communities throughout the year.
For further information on HHC’s Regional Services, visit the Regional Services page on our new website.
