In Alberta, over 26,000 homeless individuals visit emergency rooms each year for various medical issues. When discharged, many have nowhere to go and are forced back onto the streets while still recovering. This often leads to complications, worsening health conditions, and frequent hospital readmissions, creating a cycle of homelessness and repeated emergency care.

To address this issue, a new pilot project is introducing temporary bridge-healing transition spaces, providing a safe place for individuals to recover after leaving the hospital. The Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation Program, operated by the Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC), aims to break this cycle by offering stable post-hospital care. The initiative is funded by Alberta Health Services and led by Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, an emergency room physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and a professor at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. This program seeks to improve recovery outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.