FALL 2017 Thirty five - The Jean Tweed...

The Tweed The Jean Tweed Centre Newsletter 1

35

FALL 2017

Message from our

Executive Director

Thirty-five

Years and Still

Growing! Thirty-five Years and Still Growing!!

Yes, this year represents a major mile-stone in the history of the Jean Tweed Centre. Thirty-five years have wit-nessed the growth and expansion of the centre from a small residential agency to one that has grown and ex-panded both in scope and range of ser-vices. Today, we offer: day program-ming, outpatient counselling, outreach services, therapeutic child care and both transitional & supportive housing. Reaching women across the Province, in multiple LHINS and across the GTA is an achievement we are truly proud of.

Our leadership has also had a significant impact at many levels contributing to best practices in areas such as trauma, gender, and parenting, and we regularly participate in provincial and national forums where our knowledge and prac-tice wisdom inform a growing body of Canadian research and literature inclu-sive of a gender lens.

Fundamental to the culture of the “Tweed” is collaboration; this has been a value rooted in many generations of leadership and one which has never been more critical to the future of health care. Seamless holistic service is essential to reducing barriers and max-imizing scarce resources. It is also criti-

cal that the needs of women recognized by Jean Tweed some decades ago con-tinue to be recognized and understood in our mental health and substance use continuum of care in Ontario.

Finally, in this celebratory year, we must continue to build on “Tweed wis-dom”. Change is constant and our work has never been more challenging. Lis-tening to the women we work with, be-ing their voice and ensuring that their changing needs are met as best we can. In doing so, we are humbled by their courage, grateful to those who support our efforts in so many ways and proud to continue the legacy that began with a woman named Jean Tweed.

On behalf of our board members, staff (present and past), and our many do-nors and volunteers we celebrate this milestone with pride and a shared com-mitment to carry forward a vision of Excellent Care for women and their families.

Lucy Hume Executive Director


The Jean Tweed Cen-

tre was established in

1983 and named after

Jean Shannon Tweed –

a woman who saw the

need for a safe and

supportive environ-

ment for women to

address their sub-

stance use concerns.

Recognizing the im-

portance of providing on-

site childcare as a means

of minimizing barriers to

accessing service, the JTC

opens the only licensed,

therapeutic child care in

a substance use agency in

Ontario.

Over time, the Jean

Tweed Centre expands

beyond residential ser-

vices and includes more

individualized counsel-

ling to address issues

such as trauma, problem

gambling, substance use,

and concurrent mental

health issues.

With the understanding that some women

experience incredible marginalization and

complex conditions, as well as the impact of

the determinants of health (e.g. income,

housing, education, etc.) on substance use

and mental health, the JTC secured and sup-

ports women in over 180 units of Supportive

Housing and provides outreach services to

hundreds of women a year.

Celebrating 35 years of supporting


The JTC has developed

over 17 partnerships with

various health and social

services to ensure a holistic

and collaborative approach

when supporting women

with complex social and

health issues including sub-

stance use and mental

health.

The JTC is involved with a

range of knowledge transla-

tion and research based

activities, including evalua-

tion, quality improvement,

the delivery of workshops

and trainings, and the de-

velopment of best practices

and guidelines, including

Trauma Matters—trauma-

informed guidelines.

The Jean Tweed Centre

continues to grow to meet

the needs of women and

their families.

Thirty f ive years

women and their families


The Jean Tweed Centre has a long history of partnering with the community to strengthen our programs and

meet the needs of women and their families. The JTC greatly values the participation and feedback of those

who have participated in our programs and is forming a Community Engagement Council to provide even

more opportunity to work together. This council will play a vital role in our organization by advising our sen-

ior leaders on ways to improve the quality of care we provide. By joining the council, current and past clients

have the chance to be part of changes that can benefit everyone who uses our services.

Jean Tweed Community Engagement Council

The Jean Tweed Centre has organized

and participated in two events to get

moving to support the Jean Tweed

Centre. At the start of summer, the JTC

hosted a “Mom and Babies Walka-

thon” in High Park. Despite a down-

pour, it was a lovely event that brought

together staff, volunteers, and clients

to walk in support of the work the Cen-

tre does. Later in the season, the Jean

Tweed Centre participated in the Bang

& Olufsen Yorkville Run with a few

staff members participating in the run

as well as having an information booth

at the post-run fair to share the work

of JTC with all the participants and

their supporters.

Getting Active for a Good Cause

Lucy Hume accepting a cheque on behalf of the Jean Tweed Centre

generously donated by the Bang and Olufsen Yorkville Run.


For the 19th year in a row, golfers came together to play a

round at the Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Stouffville to sup-

port the Jean Tweed Centre. Once again, golfers enjoyed

exceptionally sunny, warm weather on the greens. The day

started with a BBQ lunch and then tee off. As golfers made

their way around the course, they were met with Jean

Tweed staff at the “Trivia Booth” (see picture below).

Here, golfers were asked to answer a range of questions

related to women, substance use, and mental health. This

offers a great opportunity for the Centre’s supporters to

meet those who work at the Centre and learn more about

the women and families that participate at the centre and

the issues they are facing.

The day ended with a full dinner and silent auction. The

Jean Tweed Centre is grateful to all those who came out to

play and support this important work.

19th Annual Golf Tournament

Trivia Questions (answers on last page)

1. Alcohol remains the most common substance

used by women. The greatest increase in prob-

lematic use has been in heavy drinking among:

a) Women attending university and college

b) Older women

C) Pregnant and/or parenting women

2. The Jean Tweed Centre is known for the fol-

lowing:

a) Having a playground at its main office

b) Hosting residential clients in an old Victori

an heritage home by the lake

c) Having staff located in at least 10 different

Toronto neighbourhoods

d) All of the above


The Importance of Housing

Over the past few years, the Jean Tweed Centre has expanded its services to include supportive and

transitional housing to women and their families. Housing is a fundamental necessity for healthy living.

It has been shown that unaffordable, insecure, and/or unsafe housing increases the risk of many health

problems, including, substance use as a means of coping with stress. Homelessness is a major issue in

Toronto where the cost of housing is unaffordable for many, and 20% of the population spend more

than 50% of their income on housing, which puts them at the risk of imminent homelessness.

The Jean Tweed Centre now has with a total of 183 funded apartment units for women and their fami-

lies, as well as room for 11 women and 4 infants in our transitional housing program. Our supportive

housing program has been in operation for nearly six years and the average length of stay for current

tenants reaching just over four years. This is significant, given that all of these women identified experi-

encing homelessness and facing barriers to stable housing upon entry to the program. Furthermore,

women continue to report a 90% reduction in visits to hospital emergency departments, now that they

have safe, stable housing, and support.

Transitional Housing for Women This past year, The Jean Tweed Centre welcomed

the addition of a transitional housing program to

the array of services offered. Palmerston House is

a unique transitional housing program where

women and mothers with infants have the oppor-

tunity to work towards their substance use and

related mental health goals. It is a safe, group en-

vironment for women seeking positive change in

the lives.

Over the past year, a total of 29 women and four

infants lived in the home and participated in pro-

gramming. Typically, women spend their days

participating in community programs that support

their individual needs and goals (e.g. therapeutic,

recreational, employment programs, etc.) and

come together as a community to share in daily

living tasks, such as cooking, and a meal in the

early evening. Staff are on site and available to

provide support related to substance use, mental

health, prenatal, parenting, and life skills.


A success story

A young woman moved into PH when she was seven months pregnant

with her first child and on a methadone maintenance program. Previously

homeless, the support of the transitional housing program provided her

with the stability she needed to successfully participate in programming to

support her substance use goals and to collaborate with child welfare ser-

vices to support her successful transition to motherhood. During her time

at PH she delivered a healthy baby and with staff support, developed con-

fidence in her parenting skills. After living at PH for nine months, and with

the right supports in place, she was able to move with her child into her

A photo of the Palmerston House dining room where

residents meet at dinner time to share a meal.


Ontario is currently facing an opioid crisis with a 19% increase in overdose deaths in 2016 from the previous year (for a total of 892 deaths). The Jean Tweed Centre supports women facing difficulties because of their opioid

use in a number of different ways. One way in particular is supporting pregnant opi-

oid users. Recent analysis done by the Canadian Institute for Health Services found

that between April 2016 and end of March 2017, 1,846 babies were admitted to hos-

pital after their mothers used opioids during pregnancy and that more than half

those cases were in Ontario.

The JTC offers programs specifically for pregnant women who are using substances

and supports them to work towards their goals, which often includes a healthy preg-

nancy and deliver. Pregnant women who participate in these programs are support-

ed by counsellors who work with them without judgement. These counselors offer a

range of approaches to help women address their concerns, help to connect them to

other important health and social services, and build strong relationships with child

welfare.

Addressing the Opioid Crisis

The province of Ontario

has recently committed

to significantly increase

funding to address this

issue. See the provin-

cial statement here:

https://

news.ontario.ca/

mohltc/en/2017/08/

ontario-providing-

support-to-those-

affected-by-opioid-

crisis.html)

Pathways to

Healthy Families

Our Pathways to Healthy Families program supports pregnant and/or parenting women with substance use concerns.

Our outreach counsellors are located across the city. They can assist women with both parenting and substance use concerns, including:

child welfare matters

pre-natal needs

connecting with local resources Outreach counsellors are located in Scar-borough, Downtown, Etobicoke, and Cen-tral West (including all of Dufferin County, the northern portion of Peel Region, and parts of Toronto and York Region). Aborigi-nal services are also available.

https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2017/08/ontario-providing-support-to-those-affected-by-opioid-crisis.html








The Jean Tweed Centre’s Transitional Housing Program, Palmerston House, is unique from some other hous-

ing programs in that it provides much needed housing for mothers and their infants. To provide this type of

support, the house is outfitted to meet the needs of infants. This spring, the Kiwanis Club of Toronto gener-

ously provided the funding to better support the infants, including funds to create a play area for the babies.

With this funding came an invitation to attend an annual Kiwanis Gala to celebrate the work of community

organizations.

Kiwanis Toronto—100 Year Gala

Photo of the

Kiwanis Toronto 100 Year Gala.


215 Evans Ave Toronto, ON

M8Z 1J5 (416) 255-7359

Please contact [email protected] for

any additional information, or comments

regarding the newsletter.

SUPPORT THE JEAN TWEED CENTRE!

Each and every day, a woman turns to our Centre for support – for herself, her children, and her

family. There are many ways you can make a difference in support of our programs and services.

Donate online at www.jeantweed.com!

Canada Helps simplifies the donating process (credit card, interac online, or paypal), making it quick, easy, and secure. Visit www.jeantweed.com and DONATE TODAY!

Donate by mail!

To donate by mail (cheque, VISA, or Mastercard) please complete this form and mail to the

Jean Tweed Centre at 215 Evans Ave, Toronto, ON, M8Z 1J5.

YES, I would like to support the Jean Tweed Centre

$20 $50 $75 $100 Other $ _________

YES, I would like to join the JTC Monthly Giving Program with a monthly gift of:

$10 $15 $20 Other $ _________

Method of Payment:

My cheque to the Jean Tweed Centre is enclosed

I authorize the Jean Tweed Centre to charge my credit card: one time monthly

Visa Mastercard

Card # _______________________________________ Expiry Date: _____________________

Signature: ____________________________________ Telephone #: ____________________

Receipts are issued for all donations of $10 or more.

Charitable Registration No. 118973528RR0001

Trivia Answers!

1) A 2) D

http://www.jeantweed.com

FALL 2017 Thirty five - The Jean Tweed...

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