Melcor isn\u2019t the first housing project in Edmonton aimed at providing housing for those that need support. The Bissell Centre \u2013 an agency and outreach centre in inner city Edmonton \u2013 started Hope Terrace, a permanent supportive housing model for high risk adults with FASD. According to the Edmonton and area Fetal Alcohol Network Society, it\u2019s the second of its kind in Canada that offers \u201cspecific housing support to a population that has a tendency to slip through the cracks.\u201d But for Lasha Roberts, Skills Society community supports manager, a program that houses only one segment of the population isn\u2019t always the best way to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe segregation is marginalizing,\u201d said Roberts. Because of their behavioural symptoms, like the inability to reason and understand cause and effect, if you put people with FASD together, they are vulnerable and easily influenced. And you end up labelling an entire group of people. That\u2019s why the Melcor model is a step in the right direction, said Roberts. It\u2019s the \u201cwhole idea of being a part of something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ideally, the Skills Society would like to try another model of housing where their clients live among people who don\u2019t need support or subsidized housing, but in the end, it comes down to having a building willing to take on the individuals they support. And at the time, Melcor was the only building willing to give the partnership a try.<\/p>\n
According to Deborah Steinstra, professor at the University of Manitoba and frequent speaker on accessibility and inclusion, a completely inclusive society means there is no longer a desire to segregate individuals who need access to support and resources.<\/p>\n
The stigma around affordable housing is shifting, she said, solely because the population so vocal about the issue previously is getting older and realizing they need access to those same resources they criticized.<\/p>\n
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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”rgba(229,229,229,0.96)” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”on” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/fasdhousing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/04\/Melcor-main.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”on” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#f4f4f4″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”on” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
Prevention: <\/strong><\/p>\n The irony behind FASD is even though it is an incurable, lifelong disability, it is completely preventable.<\/p>\n Fifty per cent of pregnancies are unplanned, yet 90 per cent of women admit to drinking during childbearing age. Nine per cent of Alberta woman reported drinking during their last pregnancy, and that number jumps to 41 per cent for women in the highest income bracket.<\/p>\n Alcohol is a societal issue; it plays an enormous part in our cultural experience, yet alcohol is proven more damaging to the fetus than other hard drugs like heroin.<\/p>\n Prenatal alcohol\/drug consumption on fetus development<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s a shared experience; it\u2019s relatable, it\u2019s common, it brings people together. And alcohol doesn\u2019t discriminate \u2013 anyone who drinks during pregnancy can be impacted.<\/p>\n Dr. Valerie Massey, one of the top FASD diagnosticians in Canada, is working on increasing awareness about the impact of alcohol not just on the fetus, but on families and whole communities.<\/p>\n People now know it\u2019s bad for your health to smoke cigarettes, they know they are supposed to put on your seatbelt, but because alcohol is so entrenched in our culture, we\u2019ve been slow to understand the devastating impact of alcohol, said Massey.<\/p>\n Alberta has been ahead of the curve in terms of benefits and research for FASD. But when you are in frontline work, said Massey, nothing seems to be getting better.<\/p>\n \u201cWe aren\u2019t reaching the target population, which is a young woman who drinks, any woman who is of fertile age,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they just don\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n Massey advocates for a harm reduction model. Education needs to start in elementary school and carry on to university and college orientation. As soon as people are old enough to have sex, they need to understand the consequences of unprotected sex and drinking, even if pregnancy is not the intention. Raising awareness is the only way to prevent FASD.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”rgba(249,249,249,0.96)” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”on” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/fasdhousing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/04\/second-day-3-of-7.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”on” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Not only an Indigenous issue<\/strong><\/p>\n Perhaps the most common misconception associated with FASD is that it is a disability only diagnosed in the indigenous population.<\/p>\n For Roberts, it doesn\u2019t affect just one community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not an aboriginal problem,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n One of the reasons people often make that inaccurate connection is indigenous children tend to get diagnosed more often with FASD, whereas others are more likely to get diagnosed with a more socially accepted diagnosis.<\/p>\n Dr. Gail Andrew is the medical director of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and FASD Clinical Services. She said there is less stigma in ADHD if you are a white, middle class family.<\/p>\n She said the stigma on the indigenous population is further perpetuated by the media, who often writes stories of individuals with FASD who struggle, \u201cwill commit crimes and go to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no reports of success stories.\u201d<\/p>\n Massey said we are asking all the right questions now, but not to everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a sample bias in what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no denying there is a high population of indigenous people diagnosed with FASD, something Massey recognizes. It\u2019s a marginally disenfranchised population, historically treated very badly by every system out there. She argues when your voices are not heard, you can develop maladapted coping strategies, which is often alcohol. But, booze doesn\u2019t discriminate and it\u2019s troubling when people assume this is merely a First Nations problem.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter who you are, what you do, where you come from, or where you live,\u201d she said. \u201cBooze is booze.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew defers to the social determinants of health when talking about the prevalence of FASD in indigenous communities, an area fundamental to understanding prevention and stigma, but that currently has little investment. Poverty, lack of educational opportunities, inequities in access to health and mental health care are \u201csadly more prevalent in First Nations\u201d based on the Canadian history of their treatment, from early settlement to residential school maltreatment.<\/p>\n \u201cThese issues lead to higher rates of alcohol abuse and mental health disorders and not knowing how to parent as you were not parented yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew said she did a focus group a few years ago and some of the First Nations women told stories of mistreatment when they tried to get health care, so they never went back.<\/p>\n In her clinic, poor prenatal care is common, as is poor nutrition, past violent relationships and continued stress, which can all compound the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure.<\/p>\n \u201cAll those preventable factors are more common in First Nations.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/fasdhousing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/04\/graphs-1-of-2-300x199.jpg\")