They say a Rising Tide lifts all boats regardless of shape or size. If so, then this version of Rising Tide is trying to lift individuals out of homelessness and poverty.

It would therefore stand to reason that the answer to homelessness is affordable housing. The short answer is “yes”, but there is more to it than just finding someone a door to walk through and roof over their head. The individuals Rising Tide was designed to assist require more than just a door and roof. They also require support services in the form of case managers, social workers, access to nursing care, human resource counsellors, and in most cases mental health and addiction counselling.

When you speak about homelessness, you also need to understand the underlying effects of childhood trauma, contributing to mental health, which leads to alcohol and/or drug addiction. Housing without the ability to address these deep-rooted issues will only have short term success in the most cases.

Therefore, Rising Tide’s success will be directly related to the level of care and assistance we can provide through our support teams to the tenants in working with them to remain housed.