The Bradford LOFT (Leap of Faith Together) is a specialized supportive housing and assisted living program for at-risk older adults and seniors ages 55+. The facility located on Barrie Street is home to 54 residents and has a partnership with Palliative Care at SouthLake Hospital.
Since 2013, the Bradford House has provided services to those who are living with challenges with mental health, addictions, and cognitive decline, and offer 24-hour Personal Suppor Worker support and case management services. They are funded under the Assisted Living program but heavily rely on donations from the public.
“The idea behind the Bradford House is to provide affordable housing aligned with personal support services and care coordination services, as well as support around psycho-social challenges so people can live with success in the community, with dignity,” explains Debra Walko, Senior Director Complex Care & Senior Services with LOFT.
The LOFT works with the town of Bradford, and several local businesses and non-profit organizations such as the Helping Hand Food Bank, Bradford Produce, local farms, and receive great support from town council and Mayor Rob Keffer.
Care workers at the LOFT help residents keep their independence as long as possible until it is unsafe and they require more one-to-one personal support. The facility also offers programs to educate clients on harm reduction, sexual education, smoking plans, anti pan-handling, and other socially-responsible strategies.
“Understanding about our clients is key," explains Carolyn Donaldson, Program Director at Bradford House. “Just because someone’s behaviour is different, doesn’t mean they are bad. We need to understand the reason first."
In 2019, the Bradford LOFT was the recipient of the ONPHA (Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association) Excellence Award for their dedication to providing at-risk seniors with a safe and independent community with a meal program.
However, the housing site itself has had several challenges over the years and has required a lot of renovations and electrical work done to keep the facility safely maintained for its residents.
“It took us nine years to get an accessible elevator,” states Donaldson, adding that the old elevator was not accessible for EMS or wheelchairs. “It’s hard to get the funding for things like that when you’re a charity."
Unfortunately, the needs of the LOFT program have exceeded the capacity of the Bradford house and the non-profit organization has been waiting for approval to find a new facility that will better accommodate the needs of its clients and staff who serve them.
“In order for us to accommodate all the wheelchairs and walkers, we have to have three separate dining rooms and staggered meal-times for our residents,” notes Donaldson. “We only have one common washroom for the entire house and for visitors which is also an inconvenience."
The LOFT’s wish list for a future development includes wider and accessible hallway spaces and larger common areas, more bathrooms, a dedicated kitchen separate from the dining areas, a garden area with seating, more single room accommodations (as many of the residents share rooms), and more space for community resources (such as doctors and individuals from life labs).
“We currently only have two vans to manage over 5,000 medical appointments a year,” adds Donaldson. “The vans are old and will eventually need replacements. As our new programs didn’t get funding, we are always looking for sponsors to help us."
For a virtual tour of the current Bradford LOFT, click here.
For more information or to donate to the Bradford LOFT House, visit their website here.
