Jean Tweed Centre > I Want Help > Additional Services

Whichever option(s) you choose at The Jean Tweed Centre, you may also access the following services.

Child Development & Childcare Services

Mothers participating in the Jean Tweed Centre day, outpatient and outreach programs have access to a fully licensed therapeutic child development centre.

The childcare centre provides a warm and nurturing environment for children to play and learn helping them to meet their developmental milestones.

Services include: child care, onsite parenting workshops, parenting consultations, attachment intervention, home safety assessments, information and support.

Families Matter

Living with the issues of substance abuse and/or gambling can be lonely and overwhelming for families/friends. They also play a vital role in supporting women to make changes in their life. Whether it’s dealing with the personal impact or figuring out how to help a loved one, families and friends require support and assistance.

At Jean Tweed we offer an open support group for families/friends on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. New members are invited to arrive at 5:30 to meet the family counselor and other new members. Each night we’ll talk about a different area of interest; some topics include:

Understanding substance use/gambling and their impact on families
Taking care of yourself when someone you care about has a problem
Finding and using support
Staying safe and handling crises
Acknowledging what has been lost
Effective communication
Setting limits
Finding hope again

We ask that participants refrain from using any mood-altering substances for at least 12 hours before coming to the Centre.

Trauma Services

Many women who struggle with substance abuse or problem gambling have experienced some type of trauma in their lives, i.e. physical and/or sexual abuse during childhood, or possibly living as adults in situations where they are in danger. Gambling or using may function as a coping mechanism in these situations.
At Jean Tweed, all clinical services are trauma informed, which means we understand the role that trauma may have played in your life and we will provide a safe and caring environment for you while you begin to make lifestyle changes.

Two Trauma specific services are available:

The first is a ‘Seeking Safety’ group (based on Lisa Najavits’ work). It’s offered weekly for approximately 20 weeks, two or three times a year. This group focuses on safety skills, coping, empowerment, detaching from the effects of trauma and personal support.
The second is for women who wish to do more in-depth work on trauma. Individual counseling is available for a two year period following completion of substance abuse/problem gambling programming.

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Supportive Housing for Women and Children

At the Jean Tweed Centre we understand the importance of affordable, safe, and secure housing in the lives of women and children. To support women’s housing needs, the Jean Tweed Centre has two supportive housing projects. Both these projects offer a range of supports for women to address substance use issues along with other goals to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and maintain housing.

The Jean Tweed Centre and Mainstay Housing Supportive Housing Program

This program offers women with substance use issues who are homeless or marginally housed affordable housing with support services. There are 32 apartments in a building located near the Queen and Dufferin area in Toronto.

Every woman in the program has an individual support worker. These workers provide intensive support on issues related to substance use and they connect women with other important supports such as primary health care. Women may also take part in a variety of groups in the building focusing on:

wellness,
life skills,
healthy relationships, and
parenting.

Support Workers work with women primarily on their substance use issues and will also connect them with other services in the area to ensure that women can achieve all their goals.

The Jean Tweed Centre and YWCA Elm Centre Partnership

YWCA Elm Centre is an innovative residential community located in the heart of downtown Toronto. Currently under construction and expected to open in the Fall of 2011, the Elm Centre will have 300 affordable apartments for single low-income women, women with children, women living with mental health and addiction issues and families of Aboriginal ancestry.

The Jean Tweed Centre is working with the YWCA to offer specific support to 30 units in this housing program to women with mental health and substance use issues.

For more information regarding the Elm Centre, please visit:

http://www.ywcatoronto.org/page.asp?l1=52&l2=76&pid=78)

How to apply

The application process for the Jean Tweed Centre and Mainstay Supportive Housing and the YWCA Elm Housing is through Coordinated Access for Supportive Housing (CASH). This is the centralized waiting list for all mental health and addictions supportive housing in Toronto.

Click here to access the CASH application form. Please submit the completed application to CASH who will forward referrals to the Jean Tweed Centre or the YWCA when we have vacancies.

Please note: If you are already connected to the Jean Tweed Centre, please contact your counselor to fill out a referral form for the YWCA Elm housing to access the supportive housing units with specific support for women with mental health and substance use issues.