Since 1982
Support House was founded in 1982 by family and friends who wanted to ensure that people with mental health issues could remain or return to their community. The Chartwell Residence, a seven-bedroom house, was purchased to provide support and a home to more fully integrate people into the community.
Over the years, supportive housing was expanded to include three townhouses in Oakville and two in Acton. Operational funding is provided through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as well as the Mississauga Halton Local Integrated Health Network (MH LHIN). Partnerships were later forged to develop the Halton Homes Program for those with serious mental illness, as well as a relationship with the Region of Halton who provides rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing units.
In support of peer-run and peer-driven services, a formal relationship with TEACH (Teach, Empower, Advocate for Community Health) was established in 1997, forging new directions in the self-help and consumer survivor movement.
Support House continued to expand its continuum of supportive housing to include seniors at Bonnie Place II and St. Andrews, and LIFE House, a home for youth in Acton. In 2011, SHH partnered with ADAPT to develop ASH, a supportive housing program for those living with substance use challenges.
Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) staff and programming – a youth-centred cross-sectoral approach to integration, was initiated to effectively meet the specific needs of youth as well as to effectively transition youth into the adult system. The TAY Service Coordination service is a Mississauga-Halton LHIN initiative that provides a monthly place where agency staff come together to problem-solve and assist youth who may benefit from an enhanced service plan as well as to successfully bridge youth into adult services.
The Centre for Innovation in Peer Support was funded by the MHLHIN to create a network of supports for peers across the sector and more fully advocate for peer work provincially and nationally. The Centre has been foundational and instrumental in our values-based approaches to our support work across the agency.
In 2014, Grace House, an Oakville-based residence that provides affordable, supportive, transitional housing for ten individuals was merged with Support House. The merger furthered the work of SHH to enable the provision of a full continuum of supportive affordable housing within the Halton Region.
In 2020 TEACH was amalgamated with the systems work of the Centre for Innovation in Peer support. Support and Housing – Halton also changed it name and rebranded to become Support House.
