Two issues of much concern locally continue to find proponents

The need for an addiction shelter in the North and a homeless shelter in Prince Rupert were both featured in Friday's paper. With a Vancouver MLA looking for support for his recommendation that a one time resort outside of Prince George be used as a viable option for an addiction shelter.

While the homeless situation in Prince Rupert continues to grow, while officials struggle to find a solution to it.

Both issues were featured on page three of Friday's paper.

Addiction centre touted by MLA
By Christian Webber
The Daily News
Friday, June 29, 2007
Page Three

Vancouver MLA Lorne Mayencourt is trying to turn a one-time resort near Prince George into an addictions treatment centre for drug addicts and alcoholics that will be the first of its kind in Canada.

The centre, to be called New Hope, would be an addictions treatment community with therapeutic support where patients will be invited to stay for at least two years and learn new work skills in order to turn their lives around.

Mayencourt is looking for support for the concept in Terrace, Smithers, Burns Lake, Dawson Creek and Prince Rupert.

The property Mayencourt is looking at is a former army barracks and was recently used as a resort, it is on 160 acres south of Prince George in Baldyhuges and has 15 rooms, a restaurant, gymnasium, bowling alley and a fire hall. To work for Mayencourt, it will also need a medical centre.

Mayencourt has talked to the Edmonton owners of the property and says they are willing to lease the complex for three years. Mayencourt now needs $150,000 in the first year to get it up and running.

His dream is to offer the facilities to addicts for free. In return they will be expected to contribute to the community's sustainability, maintain the complex by doing things like making lunch, cleaning, building and other work that needs to be done.

"People need to be engaged in work as well as recovery, it can be quite therapeutic to do that, and we want to teach people the skills they need in order to succeed in life," said Mayencourt. He spoke about the idea this week at a meeting in Prince Rupert.

The model is based on an Italian treatment centre that has helped more than 22,000 addicts and has a 72 per-cent success rate.

Right now, addicts in B.C. get one week of detox and 28 days of treatment before being released. About 85 per cent relapse within the first 30 days.

"I wanted to create one in B.C. based on the Italian San Patrignano. They work on everybody as a bit of a project to help them get well," he said.

There will be room for about 100 people at the facility and he is hoping to get it underway in the next six months to a year.

"I'm trying to bring in a new kind of addictions treatment that is more holistic, takes more time and helps people build the support system and get reconnected with family and friends," said Mayencourt.

San Patrignano is an entirely voluntary enterprise, it operates on the principal that someone who has been in recovery for a while mentoring someone who is new to recovery.

The professionals that are a part of the process are also recovering addicts, so everyone that works there is a recovering addict, works for free and lives in the community.

About half the patients are expected to come from the Northern Health region, and half to come from the Lower Mainland and the rest of the province.

The reason the province-wide addictions centre will be located so far north according to Mayencourt is that order for people to get well they need to get out of their own neighborhood and their local influences, so geographically it is great to get away from the centre of your addiction.

"Secondly, the site is already available, so the cost is cut. This particular sight has a lot of great amenities that are already built," said Mayencourt.

He has been working on the project for about a year now.

"It's something I feel very passionate about, I think that the timing is right, the public meetings I'm holding around the province are getting good support," said Mayencourt.
"We have a lot of addicts, drug and alcohol problems and I want to do something that will help those people," said Mayencourt.

So far, he has lots of support for it, he has held a community meetings around the Northwest and will hold his last one in Prince George in September.

"I want to check with the community and make sure everything is okay with it because I want to go into a place where people will feel welcome," said Mayencourt.

The first stage of the project is 100 patients, then they will look at that and see if it is manageable and successful and reflective of B.C.'s values.

Mayencourt said the reason the program will be at least two years is people who live with addiction live with it full time for years, if they seriously want to come out of addictions they are going to have to spend some time doing that.

"What you put into it is what you get out of it," said Mayencourt.

Time right for homeless shelter action: study
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, June 29, 2007
Page Three

A lack of First Nations involvement is just one of many problems Prince Rupert is facing in the development of a permanent emergency shelter that would help address homelessness in the community.

A study to determine the feasibility of establishing a proper transitional home in Prince Rupert was unveiled last week to the Steering Committee on Aboriginal Homelessness (SCAH), proposing several different models and plans for housing many of the city's displaced people.

"As long as the community acts on the recommendations and next steps outlined by this ... feasibility study, this project will not be just another study' or one more report on the shelves' on the topic," said Project Administrator Michael Curnes in the report.

"We can talk and study and line shelves with reports forever but the time to address the problem of homelessness in our community is NOW."

The completed feasibility study recognizes that a new emergency shelter will not eliminate homelessness in Prince Rupert, but also says that placing men at Raffles Inn on an emergency housing basis is not an ideal situation. Currently, Raffles Inn is being used as the city's temporary shelter, with the help and funding of several organizations, most notably the Salvation Army.

"Raffles Inn is a very brave hotel establishment to take this on," said Salvation Army Captain Gary Sheils. "And it's been nothing but extremely patient and extremely gracious."

A full-time Salvation Army member is now living in Raffles Inn to help coordinate the process there, and although he is not a trained counsellor, Sheils said the program has been strengthened by his presence.

But what the SCAH realized is that what is desperately needed is a permanent transitional home for not only homeless men in the community, but a place for families and young people in the transitional stage.

"I've been informed projects that favour one gender will not be looked at favorably by BC Housing," said committee member Linda Movold.

"One of the issues that hasn't even been addressed is the 15, 16, 17-year-old kids sleeping in the CIBC 24-hour machine area, and just everywhere," said Sheils. "The problem is just horrendous."

Federal funding to Prince Rupert last year could have been $100,000 but the city only received $70,000 because not enough of the community stakeholders were at the table, most notably First Nations leaders.

Therefore, an invitation to join the SCAH has been extended to the First Nations community of Prince Rupert, and any willing participants are urged to contact committee member Marilyn Bryant, either by phone at 627-1536, or by e-mail at marilyb@sd.52.bc.ca

Any other stakeholders or members of the public who would like to attain a copy of the feasibility study can pick up copies at BC Housing, 1400 Kootenay Ave.