Bottom row (left to right): Alan Maislin (former Board Chair, CIUSSS West Central Montreal), Dr. Shari Joseph (CIUSSS), Ariel Mechaly (Alink participant), Orly Fruchter (Manager, Neurodiverse Initiatives, Azrieli Foundation), Harriet Sugar Miller (Alink), Myer Bick (Board Member, Azrieli Foundation), Dominique McCaughey (COO, Azrieli Foundation), Gary Stoopler (CIUSSS)
Top row (left to right): Mark Demaine, Michèle Bleue, Mary Lattas (CIUSSS), Jodi Toledano (Federation CJA), Leah Berger (Kehilla), Janice Bicher (Alink), Naomi Mazer (Ometz)
Not pictured: Rebecca Levy (Kehilla), Susan Karpman (Ometz), Jennifer Auchinleck and Joanna Broadhurst (CIUSSS)
by Ilana Belfer
Long waitlists. Aging parents. Limited options. These realities have weighed on families for years.
On February 6, close to 100 community members gathered at the Gelber Conference Centre to hear how Alink and our public and private partners are beginning to change that.
The focus was on two housing initiatives: a housing readiness program in a simulated duplex and our first group of supported apartments — or housing PODS™
“We all worry about what will happen to our children when we’re no longer here. That’s why we started Alink–to build community-based solutions that will help deliver the lifelong support our adult children need,” said Harriet Sugar Miller, Alink President. “The way our community is coming together to do this–it’s just amazing.”
Le Bayit: Preparing for Housing
Le Bayit — Hebrew for “home” — is a home away from home in a renovated duplex designed to help neurodivergent adults prepare to live as independently as possible.
A collaboration among Les Maisons Kehilla, Agence Ometz, the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal and Alink, Le Bayit offers structured life skills training and regular overnight stays for small groups of participants on a part-time basis. Full-time transitional housing, with training, will also be available for up to three tenants.
The duplex, located in Montreal’s west end, is owned and managed by Kehilla. Ometz will lead the life skills training, which includes cooking, cleaning, social skills, managing daily affairs and personal hygiene, and a social worker will support families navigating the transition. Alink will oversee social activities and coordinate the program, with the CIUSSS playing an advisory role.
Le Bayit is expected to launch in late 2026 once Kehilla completes renovations. A two-year pilot is funded primarily by the Azrieli Foundation, with support from Federation CJA and the CIUSSS.
“It was government, foundations, community organizations, individuals working well together, committed parents and community residents that have made this great thing happen,” said Dominique McCaughey, Chief Operating Officer of the Azrieli Foundation. “This is a model for how an inclusive community should work, and I’m delighted that the Azrieli Foundation is leading this transformative project.”
Kehilla CEO Leah Berger emphasized the long-term goal behind the initiative. “Le Bayit builds a bridge to independence — one person, one life at a time,” she said. “The ultimate goal is that graduates of this program will be able to move into one of our other buildings… .”
She also announced that Kehilla’s next large residential apartment building will include apartments for approximately 20 neurodivergent tenants -–a significant expansion of housing opportunities within the community.
Check out journalist Mike Cohen’s interview with Berger and Alink‘s Ariel Mechaly here
The Arlene Fels Housing POD
After years of research, advocacy and building alliances, Alink recently signed an agreement with the CIUSSS to launch the first of our Housing PODS™ — Planned Opportunities for Development and Support.
Named in honour of a major donor, The Arlene Fels Housing POD offers supported independent apartments to four adults with low support needs. The residents rent apartments on the same floor of a building open to all tenants and share the services of an educator, who assists them with daily living. The educator does not stay overnight, reflecting the residents’ level of independence.
While Alink oversees the educator, the CIUSSS team at Miriam Centre, which is responsible for clients with developmental disabilities, provides oversight and support.
“I like having a friend to live with and hang out with,” said POD resident Laura Harris, who shares an apartment with another participant. Two other residents share an apartment on the same floor.
The PODS model is grounded in a simple principle: Separate real estate from support services. Rather than building standalone residences, Alink partners with housing providers as well as government entities to embed small groups of individuals within existing buildings while ensuring appropriate services are in place.
Alink is currently developing additional PODS for adults with low support needs along with the CIUSSS.
For more information on our housing initiatives, contact Alink ED Janice Bicher at directrice@alinkfoundation.ca.
