An alcohol and drug transitional recovery home will be setting up its base of operations inside the former Oliver Road Public School.
Council unanimously voted in favour of rezoning the former school into a home base for Crossroads Centre Inc. at Monday night’s meeting. The school was picked because it offered the recovery program additional space and an increased bed capacity.
The home offers beds for 28 people who are sober and have already completed a short-term residential treatment program. The program had moved into the LPH temporary while looking for a more permanent spot.
Executive Director Kathy Sanderson said she couldn’t be happier with council’s decision.
“We’re so excited to be moving into the Oliver Road school,” Sanderson said. “It is really wonderful to see that people recognize that addiction is a disease and you can recover from it and that we would be welcomed in that neighbourhood.”
Sanderson told council that they have a zero tolerance policy for any of their clients who act out or are using drugs or alcohol.
Council also heard from a former resident of the program.
Sanderson said she was surprised that no one showed up to voice any opposition against the move and that council passed it unanimously.
Brenda Letourneau had turned to Crossroads in order to get help for her addiction issues. She had lived at Crossroads former location on Lily Street as well as the LPH. She said the program helped her to transition back into society.
“I have four children all together and I learned to deal with the stresses of being a single parent,” she said. “It has been four and half years since living there, however, our family was affected by the flooding in the spring and I was fortunate enough to be able to go back for that type of support.”
Letourneau said the new location on Oliver Road is ideal for Crossroads.
