Bringing health services to the doorstep

On September 27, Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and the West Toronto Ontario Health Team celebrated the opening of a new iHelp Centre located at 1901 Weston Road. Tory Merritt, Co-Chair of West Toronto Ontario Health Team, Frances Nunziata, City Councillor (York South-Weston), and Scott Ovenden, Ontario Health Chief Regional Officer were among the speakers at the event.

The iHelp Centre brings together critical health care services for TCHC tenants and area residents with onsite staff and programming, operating out of a dedicated space within TCHC buildings. This summer, TCHC opened two pilot locations with the West Toronto Ontario Health Team—one at 1901 Weston Road and one at 100 High Park Avenue. Both locations will operate five days a week, with onsite health care workers focused on addressing individual and building-specific needs. At the centres, tenants and area residents can get referred to key health care services like dental care, get help completing forms or applications for support, and access onsite services and programming delivered by peers or within group settings. Mental health and addiction, primary care, and healthy aging are the key focus areas of these two locations, delivering on requests from the community.

Olive Noel, a tenant at 1901 Weston Road who volunteers with the centre, spoke during the grand opening event about the importance of this initiative. “The impact I want to see is with people with special needs,” she said. “I have seen people that are hungry, that have mental issues, and those that cannot get around. People here need help. They need a voice. We need to be the voice for these people.”

Members of TCHC’s Community Safety and Support teams, who work to identify and partner with community agencies and organizations, helped bring the iHelp concept to life.

“Through our partnership with West Toronto Ontario Health Team, TCHC is addressing critical issues in our community, particularly in reducing vulnerability and social isolation” said Archana Kula, Community Service Coordinator with TCHC. “Many individuals can now find themselves part of a supportive community. They have access to vital services and the opportunity to engage with others, which supports improved mental health and overall wellbeing,” she said.

Kashtin Fitzsimons, Director of the West Toronto Ontario Health Team, agrees and says that “a lot of times, people don’t know where to begin to access care and services.” The aim for onsite staff at iHelp is to become a safe starting point for TCHC tenants and area residents looking for dependable resources. Kashtin is proud that tenants can now get assistance with immediate and longer-term health needs: “That means accessing primary care, getting connected to support services—like a wound care nurse—or building a plan to achieve their health and wellness goals.”

To learn more about the services and support you can access at the 1901 Weston Road and 100 High Park Avenue iHelp Centres, visit wtoht.ca/ihelp