In July, 2020, The Bridge made a difficult decision to close down the office in Burlington, to provide a more central point of access for our clients, and a mobile hub for staff. We are excited to announce our new location, and partnerships, at Oak Haven Harm Reduction Hub, located at 2-125 North Service Road East, in Oakville.
With this new location, our staff will have a space where we are able to meet our clients where they are at, and expand our client base by reaching some of the regions most vulnerable community members.
Also in this location, we are collaborating with other organizations, including Oak Park Neighbourhood Center, Food 4 Life, SAVIS, ADAPT, RAAM, Home Sweet Hope, Oak Med Family Health Team, Summit Housing and Outreach Project, and The Women’s Center of Halton. The expectation is that we are part of a “one stop shop” for our clients, where we can work with other agencies, and that our clients are able to get the supports they need, with as few barriers as possible, therefore creating successful reintegration.
Another exciting announcement is our collaboration with Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) in Waterloo. CJI is known for working with the women at Grand Valley Institute for Women, and have a program called STRIDE Circles. The purpose of Stride was to prepare women for release, create meaningful relationships, and create a safe and successful reintegration for the women leaving Grand Valley Institute. We are proud and honoured to be able to bring that program to the provincial level, beginning with Vanier Centre for Women. This program will be rolling out in the late fall/early winter, and will be updating our social media and website.
With all of the exciting changes happening in our Halton Outreach program, we want to make sure that we are keeping sight on our existing mandate, and we are confident that we are doing so. We are still offering our current outreach programs, and they include
- One-on-One Counselling and intensive Case Management
- Referrals to community resources
- Community Outreach and Education Programs
- Navigation for Success(volunteer and peer support) Program
- Skills Development
- Reintegration Supports
- Family Supports
As always, any local support services or community-based organizations that are looking to partner with The Bridge are invited to contact our staff:
The Bridge team is excited to work toward reintegration and reconciliation for returning citizens and their families through advocacy, education and restorative justice practices.
