We Need to Reduce the Number of People who Need Emergency Services

It is almost four years since I began this Clubhouse journey. Support is growing but the actual Clubhouse is not established yet. Just a few miles away is exactly what we need in this community of ours to guide people away from isolation, jail, hospitalizations and suicide.

Pathways Clubhouse in Richmond has 1,000 members and recently moved into their purpose built building. They are busy with plans with a new housing project to implement their existing housing program. For the past 30 years Pathways has been guiding people to social inclusion and away from emergency services. Pathways has achieved a societal return on investment of 14:1, is a Four Star Charity and also named one of the Top Ten Impact Charities in Canada last year by Charity Intelligence Canada

A Clubhouse International is a community of people where staff and members work side by side. It is purposely understaffed, as it is the members who are wanted and needed to complete the important work each day in the Clubhouse. Every aspect of the Clubhouse is driven on peer-support and is structured to find each person’s strengths and guide people to reach their full potential through hope, encouragement and opportunities.

Clubhouse International www.clubhouse-org is an outcomes/research driven model that helps 100,000 people worldwide each year get back into life. This model reduces the demand on emergency services and has research to prove this. There are 37 International Standards that Clubhouses strive to follow. It is due to these standards that such amazing outcomes are possible.

Connections Place Society www.connectionsplace.org is working to establish a Clubhouse International in the Greater Victoria Area. Support is growing and the demand is certainly increasing too. A Clubhouse International will complement existing services and will reduce the demand on emergency services.

Connections Place was born from the realization of parents that their much-loved adult children could easily become a street statistic. Clubhouse International is a proven model that will save both tax dollars and lives – it is not just a good deed but a good deal. There are 18 Clubhouse Internationals across Canada – most major city has one. This is a vital service in Richmond and it is direly needed here in our own community. Please join us and help make it happen!

Jackie Powell, Chair, Connections Place Society

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