Fred Victor Mission:A Model for long term communities
Organization profile published 1982

Year Published:  1982
Resource Type:  Organization
Cx Number:  CX2645

Abstract: 
This mission of the United Church of Canada is situated in the downtown core of Toronto. For some time it has been making the distinction between "shelter" and "housing". The MISSION was opted to create long term housing while maintaining its traditional programmes which include a 120 bed hostel and 67 bed senior citizens home for men.

In the last six months mission staff, other skid row workers, and the men using the MISSION have created a model of long term housing. It is hoped that the model will be affordable for people living on social assistance as well as reproducible on a large scale by the MISSION and others in the community.

Some important factors in the model are:

- maximum privacy for individuals
- minimum ananymous space
- maximum choice and opportunity for individuals and groups to relate to each other or remain private.

Preliminary architectural drawings show a building with nine floors and a capacity for 77 beds in 17 units. Size and density limits are dictated by city zoning for the site being considered. Each floor will have one 4-bedroom and one 5-bedroom unit. Each share common lounge. Three kinds of staff functions are integral to the model:

- problem-focussed support for individuals, units, on floors provided by agencies and services in the
community
- faclitative staff to raise issues and problems not articulated by residents
- administrative/landlord function.

The MISSION also produces a Spring Fall Newsletter the analyses the current skid row scene and describes the MISSION's ongoing reponses.