Our services to support families - MaisonElizabeth

Supporting young families in reshaping their future

Elizabeth House is a rehabilitation centre that offers a continuum of intervention and support services to families with children aged 0-5 years. We focus on young parents and mothers-to-be experiencing challenges adjusting to pregnancy or their role as parents. Through educational and therapeutic approaches, we offer in-house and external services focusing on the needs, and building upon the strengths of the individual.

In-House Services

Rehabilitation Services and Activities

These services support clients in their parenting journey by introducing and linking them to community support services

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Residential Services

A structured group living environment for mothers and their children, with support offered 24/7.

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Nursery

This program provides care and respite for children in the residential program.

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External Services

Rehabilitation and Parental Support Activities

This program supports clients to enhance their parenting skills and promoting child development.

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Education Program

This program supports pregnant and parenting teenagers complete their high school education.

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Family Assistance Program

This program helps families living in the community connect to beneficial resources.

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Semi-supervised and Transitional Apartment Programs

This program offers a supportive living environment and skills development opportunities for clients.

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Services we offer in-house

Our in-house services support moms-to-be and moms in preparing them for the arrival of their baby and helping them understand their roles as parents.

Rehabilitation Services and Activities

Rehabilitation services at Elizabeth House occur in a multitude of settings ranging from the highly structured residential program, to a daily education program, a transitional living experience, and support services in the community. It is through this continuum of services that we are best able to respond to our clients’ needs, through an integrated treatment approach informed by our clients’ multi-dimensional needs, such as their cultural backgrounds, value systems, and the impact of societal and family systems on their needs.

Our residential program focuses not only on addressing direct parenting skills. Our Educators use structured and purposeful activities as well as teachable moments in activities of daily living to help clients acquire and develop the skills they need. We work with the parent to address areas that will impact the parenting role: development of life skills; making appropriate lifestyle decisions; addressing mental health issues; supporting parents in receiving counselling and therapeutic follow-up to address personal issues and helping to connect with community and professional resources.

Residential Services

The Pre-Natal Program

The Pre-Natal Program helps pregnant girls/women have healthy pregnancies, while developing a plan for the arrival of their babies. In addition, it helps mothers have healthy deliveries, and offers support to enable them to continue their education, and to make plans for themselves and their baby after birth. Residential placement at Elizabeth House provides new moms with the resources, the focus, and the time they need to develop skills that will enable them to parent and function successfully in the community.

Mother-Baby Programs

The Mother-Baby Program teaches parents to develop healthy physical and emotional routines of care for their child. The emphasis is on developing a secure attachment and bond for both mother and child. Focus is also placed on the parents feeling safe and secure, having a new and different experience as a parent, learning new skills, and preparing to live independently in the community. For the babies, the emphasis is on feeling safe and secure, having their needs met in a healthy and predictable manner.

Nursery

Nursery services are provided to our residential clients to allow moms to be able to attend group programming or to follow individual therapies that address their personal issues. Nursery services are also available to provide respite periods as needed.

External services we offer

Elizabeth House runs various external programs: the Educational Program for teenagers who are pregnant or have a child in their care; the Family Assistance Program and two independent living programs for clients who require assistance to transition into community living; the semi-supervised - PATH and TRACK Programs.

Semi-supervised and Transitional Apartment Programs

Elizabeth House runs two independent living programs for clients who require assistance transitioning into the community. The housing, which consists of two duplex apartments, is situated close to the primary residence. Each location can support a parent and child(ren) or a couple and child(ren). The PATH Program is intended for clients who are leaving the residential program yet still require daily intervention and support to consolidate the gains or progress they have made.

The Track Program is intended for Elizabeth House clients (mothers, fathers, or couples) who require independent living support but of a less intensive nature. Clients must demonstrate the capacity to ensure the safety and security of their child(ren) on their own and have an income to support their living expenses.

The length of stay in a PATH or TRACK apartment is generally up to six months. Clients are followed by an educator from Residential Services or the Family Assistance Program. They are expected to abide by rules in relation to curfews and visitors and respect the physical living environment. Clients make a financial contribution for their stay at the apartment, simulating a real-life housing situation. They are expected to participate in a savings program, setting aside funds that can be used for their eventual transition into their own dwelling or for their personal goals.

Semi-supervised and transitional apartment program

Family Assistance Program

The Family Assistance program is an external and voluntary program that works with young parents living in the community who have children between the ages of 0-5 years old. We offer individualized support and intervention to young families who are experiencing difficulties. The emphasis in this program is on clients applying and maintaining their skills and abilities as a parent. The focus can be on both direct parenting skills as well as independent living skills.

We work in collaboration with other professionals from various organizations in the community. We are a second line service, and do not duplicate community services that are available to clients or are already in place. Our work is mainly done in the client’s home, as well as in the community when accompaniment to other resources is needed.

Education Program - The Learning Hub

Through our partnership with the English Montreal School Board, this program supports teenagers who are pregnant or have a child in their care to complete their high school education. The program was taking place at Options High School in Ville Émard but was moved in-house to our PATH building in October 2023 to increase attendance and better serve our clientele.

The program, which is now known as The Learning Hub, is a comprehensive centre that integrates tutoring to help participants obtain a high school certificate and a community kitchen that fosters food security, healthy habits, culinary skills, and budget-friendly cooking. We have also introduced a swap shop and other learning opportunities that offer our clients access to resources and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Adult students registered in the DEAL program (an online adult education program) complete their studies online with onsite support from a tutor, a clinical educator from Maison Elizabeth House, and nursery services.

Onsite Nursery: To support young mothers in continuing their education, nursery services are provided onsite for babies 18 months and younger.

Rehabilitation and Parental Support Activities

Summer Day Camp Program

This program is offered at a time when most community programs shut down for the summer. The goal of this program is to help parents balance the two most important roles in their lives, which are being a parent and being a young person. It is a way to discover different community resources like parks, swimming pools, and libraries, and introduce summer activities that young parents can do with their children. Activities also focus on allowing young parents to have fun and indulge in positive activities, as well as connect them to resources in the community.

Goals and Objectives:

Positive parent-child bonding opportunities
Promote positive activities for young people
Decrease social isolation

Parenting Program

This is a continuous parent support and education program for parents of children from birth to age 5. It aims to encourage sharing and learning together in a supportive environment, and understanding your role as a parent.

We recently introduced a new Parenthood Development (PHD) workshop, a 10-week educational workshop that focuses on topics such as child development, parenting styles, positive development, etc. This workshop will be offered twice a year with the aim of continuously helping clients develop the skills and tools they need to become successful parents.

Mental Health and Wellness Orientation

Programming focuses on :

Mental Health awareness
Building self-esteem and positive coping skills
Comfort kits to help clients develop positive coping skills / activities
Supporting clients to find external therapies to address their personal issues

ABC Infant Stimulation Program

Elizabeth House’s ABC Infant Stimulation Program is geared to mothers and fathers of children 0-5 years, who are not parenting their children full-time but have regular visits with them. With the guidance of an educator, parents are taught different ways to stimulate their children, in an effort to optimize visits, and strengthen the parent/child bond.

Our Treatment Philosophy and Approach

Elizabeth House is committed to the well-being of its clients, recognizing their physical, emotional, educational, cultural, spiritual, and social needs. We can provide support and guidance to clients in need, from pregnancy until their child has reached five years of age. Core services in our rehabilitation programs emphasize the development of parenting and independent living skills.

Client-Centered Approach
Elizabeth House is committed to fostering client and family participation in the planning, delivery, evaluation and quality improvement of its services. Our services are offered based on the needs of the clients. As much as possible, the educators follow the parent’s lead, taking into account parental goals. This approach facilitates the parent being an active participant and fosters a sense of partnership between parents and the educator. Interventions are based on an integrated approach and address the hierarchy of the family’s needs, taking into account the emotional well-being of the parents and child.

Strength-based approach
The goal of this approach is to help clients identify what their strengths are, allow them to focus on what they are doing well, and move them forward from that strength-based perspective rather than focus on negative characteristics.

The role of fathers

The role of a father in a child’s care and development, as the child’s primary caregiver, co-caregiver, or part-time parent is recognized and supported whenever possible, by including fathers in activities and interventions. In 2019 continued collaboration took place with the Table de Concertation 0-5 Cavendish regarding the important inclusion of fathers in our work with families. Discussions continued with the Organization Regroupement Pour La Valorisation de la Paternité. Initial objectives were reviewed and new ones created which included:

Inclusion of fathers at Intake
Involvement in our Infant Stimulation Program
Creation of a fathers’ support group

Ongoing important discussions occurred with our partners at 03, Walkley Community Center, CLSC Cavendish, St. Raymond Community Center, and Maison Mosaic. Accomplishments and challenges were shared.

Developing intervention plans with our clients’ input

Clients participate in developing plans for themselves and their children. This is done through an intervention planning process whereby the client’s goals and objectives are recorded and revised periodically with their input. Each client is assigned an educator who acts as case coordinator. The case coordinator is responsible for writing the intervention plans and helping the client identify strategies to meet their goals and objectives.

A team approach

An integrated team approach is used at Elizabeth House. The team consists not only of the staff and clients, but may involve professionals from other organizations, family members and significant others. Emphasis is placed on transparency, collaboration, as well as open and direct communication.

Make a donation

By making a donation to the Elizabeth House Foundation, a registered charity, you can help us provide the full range of services that young families need to succeed.

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Get involved

While Elizabeth House relies on monetary and material donations from the public to supplement programs, volunteers are also greatly valued by our clients and staff, as an important part of our organization.

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