Residential Services We Offer

This residence is the entry level residence to Chamomile for very complicated and overwhelmed adults who have developed emotional/behavioural problems. They are people who have difficulty maneuvering life, sometimes from having lived without programs that were able to reach them for too long, and often from trauamtic events in their lives, which have taken place and were difficult to process. These clients often have developmental delays, and sometimes also drug or fetal alcohol damage, or chromosome deletions and other organic problems leading them to language and life processing problems. Most of the work at this level is in providing safety and a strong structure in order to help them get their emotions and behaviors in balance and in their own control. Staffing here stays on the level of 1:1 and sometimes 2:1 staffing until they may move on to a Transition Residence.

Our Adult Transition Residence is meant for the adults who can be doing well at times without total one-to-one care but who need constant supervision. Some of them we believe, will be able, with further training and supports, to achieve some level of semi-independence in time. An adult, who will need full time extreme amounts of care for life, will likely be moving from our Intensive Treatment Residence, to a long-term third-party facility known as a Transfer Payment Agency (TPA). These adults moving on to our ATR residence is often served by one staff to one client but the staff is free to work on projects and all their attention is not on the client the whole shift.  Or two clients at a ATR will share one staff.at the Transition Residence, it is encouraging for those entering the ATR program to know that others have progressed in time onto the Semi-Independent Apartment Program. If this idea appeals to them, they will likely work hard to make it happen.

We have 4 clients in semi-independent apartment program. Most of the clients live in Chamomile apartments in Osgoode or the city of Ottawa. This program has a strong 3-tier skills building program in place. 

Staffing at Level III is 24-hour awareness. Staff work 8-12 hours, 7 days per week as the clients learn their way in the city and build a safer community surrounding. Their workers have much to do to connect them to programs and work, usually having to drive and attend with them. These clients are very vulnerable to drugs and sex abuse activity that can easily take them downhill but they are clients that absolutely do not wish to live any longer in group care.

Staffing at Level II is 5-8 hours of staffing per day, 7 days per week, and 24-hour awareness with many hours of program search and development to find them work and activities that can help them be safe and happy. 

Staff at Level I is 3-5 hours of staffing, 3-4 days a week. Clients know how to reach workers for help or needed conversation but are usually safe to self-care most of the time. 

These clients are completely independent but can remain socially/emotionally within the Chamomile community, and usually do. Those clients who are ready for this have usually been helped to reach this level and slowly just did not need so much intensive help. They are clients who are truly family members to one another, and who have taken the necessary steps to complete financial independence when they are able to support themselves alone, or with partners. We assist them in finding affordable housing, or an alternative living arrangement special to them and maintain community connection to them for all community events, and sometimes through daily employment. 

We offer a respite service to families of dual-diagnosed or autistic adults. This is usually in the form of helping take a respite client on outings during the week or weekend, or to the Chamomile farm for time with the animals. Sometimes it involves helping the family with development of programs. Our Adult Transition Residence will each allow 1 respite client to sleep in the home on occasion. 

Respite from Chamomile is a social service, sometimes, with only out of pocket expenses such as food, gas, and the cost of wages to respite staff charged to the family who need the services, but cannot afford it. This service is important not only because it is a needed service for families caring for their own children with special needs, but also because it allows some of our staff to serve a variety of clients in their own personal balance (working 40+ hours per week with dual-diagnosed high needs adults with behaviors is very exhausting). Even more important is that Chamomile staff helping respite clients gives our long-term residents an oppurtunity to help their Chamomile community to help others. 

We no longer run our own day program of work at Chamomile's Solid Rock Farm with miniature animals. 

However, we do have our own small version of a farm with 3 miniature horses and 1 pony, plus many farms of friends where our clients spend time. If clients are able, and wish to, they learn to work hard. 

Many of our clients, along with others in the broader community, are able to be in job placement and are doing exceptionally well as they learn that they are a very valuable part of the greater community. 

All clients work with their staff members, social workers, families, doctors, and other involved professionals to develop, change, and maintain an individualized Plan of Care and Treatment Plan specifically created and modified to meet their needs, skills, desires, interests, goals, culture, religion, education level, and capabilities.

Many of our clients, along with others in the broader community, are able to be in job placement and are doing exceptionally well as they learn that they are a very valuable part of the greater community.