‘This place saved my life’
Barrett Centre marks 10 years of helping people find their way back home
DAN SMITH was in his late thirties when he had what he calls “a complete collapse.”
The Hamilton man had struggled with his mental health his whole life — but after years of depression, alcohol addiction and self-harm, it all came to a head in 2009.
“Mentally, I was done,” he said. “I woke up in St. Joe’s. I don’t know how long I was there. I just knew I was there.”
After bouncing around in the health-care system, Smith found himself at Good Shepherd’s Barrett Centre for Crisis Support. “This place saved my life,” he said. Today, Smith works as a peer support counsellor at the Barrett Centre, providing the same type of care and counselling he received.
“I listen to them. I work with them. I try to help them be who they wish to be,” he said. “What makes this place special is its faith in people.”
The Barrett Centre, housed in two gracious century homes on Emerald Street South, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week. The facility provides care to people experiencing mental health crises but do not require a hospital stay. It offers a 24-hour crisis
helpline, outpatient services and 10 in-patient beds.
One of the main roles of the centre is to provide care for people who aren’t necessarily ill enough to be admitted to hospital but still need support, said Barrett Centre director Peter Kibor.
“Oftentimes, those individuals end up being left alone. And then they spiral,” said Kibor. “We’re sort of the middle ground, where a person cannot function in the community, but they may not need a psychiatric admission.”
Roughly 55 people per month are admitted to the crisis beds, staying for an average of three to five days. The crisis line also receives about 1,100 calls per month.
The Barrett Centre itself doesn’t look like a traditional hospital. It features many of the characteristics of a century home — original wood trim, fireplaces and pocket doors — as well as the conveniences of a modern-care facility, including a spacious kitchen, meeting rooms and an elevator.
Along with supporting those who are actively in a mental health crisis, the Barrett Centre also provides transitional care for people coming out of the hospital. Studies show that people who go directly home from the hospital without any transitional care tend to end up back in the emergency room within 30 days, says Kibor. The Barrett Centre will help people transition back home gradually, helping them to manage any triggers or stressors that could lead to another crisis.
“The person goes home, stays for an hour or two, comes back, and we debrief with them,” Kibor says. “And then we start looking at building skills around what is it that they need to be able to function well at home, and what are some of the things we need to build in place to make sure they don’t get into crisis again.”
Though the Barrett Centre receives stable funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, it still faces long-term challenges. Funding-wise, it receives about 50 or 60 cents on the dollar compared to similar programs that are offered in hospital.
The centre currently covers a catchment area that includes Hamilton, Burlington, Grimsby, Dunnville and Halton. Kibor points out that equates to about 10 beds for 600,000 people.
“We’re left with limited resources. I wish we had more.”
The Barrett Crisis Centre hotline is available at 905-529-7878 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to anyone experiencing mental distress.