McEwan Housing & Support Services

McEwan Housing and Support Services is a supportive housing and community support program for women and men, aged 16 and older, living with HIV or AIDS, who have mental health or substance abuse challenges or both, and are homeless or at risk of becoming so.  It is the only housing program in Ontario dedicated to serving this highly vulnerable population, and one of only a very few in the world.

McEwan offers a wheelchair-accessible, high-support residence for 10 people in the downtown area and a five-person low-support shared house.  An extensive Community Support Program provides counseling, mental health and addiction support, advocacy, referral, network building and 24-hour crisis management to more than 60 clients living independently in the community. 

The program is founded on principles of personal empowerment and self-management, and works toward the establishment of a network of community support for each client.  Respectful of the strengths and needs of each individual, services are
open-ended and flexible in intensity, responding as people’s needs change over time. 

As new medications for HIV disease have been introduced, the program has adapted its services. Although palliative care remains a necessary part of the program, there has been a growing emphasis on rehabilitative needs, including self-care, medication regimes, and household management. McEwan House also offers limited respite care to its community support clients.

< GO BACK TO SUPPORTS FOR ADULTS