In 2003, Québec's Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) introduced a program to subsidize new housing formulas (NHF) in which private or community organizations offer housing services in partnership with public institutions, wich remain responsible for providing social and health services. This type of service offering aims to provide an alternative for people with a loss of autonomy who require 24-hour supervision and who would normally be directed to a residential and long-term care centre (CHSLD).
The "living environment" approach is strongly encouraged in Québec.
There is no universal definition for alternative living environments other than the CHSLD. Housing can be offered in different types of residential facilities (such as an apartment or rooming house). Resources may be completely independent or attached to a CHSLD. Services can range from providing support, aid and assistance to nursing care, according to the distribution of responsibility between the different care providers.
NHFs are governed according to the PPP (public-private partnership) business model, which also impacts their potential success. Through the sharing of risks and profits, such projects benefit from the respective skills of the different parties involved. The PPP model also avoids the need to allocate any part of the public capital budget to the construction of infrastructure.
The "living environment" approach is strongly encouraged in Québec. This approach offers a stable, intimate, familiar living space in a quality environment adapted to the needs, preferences, habits and values of the resident, with an emphasis on family involvement.
Main researcher: Nicole Dubuc, Health and Social Services Centre — University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke (CSSS-IUGS)
Original title: Évaluation des formules novatrices d'alternatives à l'hébergement plus traditionnel
