The Residential Service Expansion includes the acquisition of a 12,000-square foot property and constructing a 35-bed addiction service center for adult women. Not only will the expansion shorten the waiting list for space in the program it will allow an offer of admission promptly, closing the gap for when the addicted women ask for help and receive help. It will also provide the needed services for youth girls – a significant gap in services in British Columbia.
The expansion translates into helping at least 188 women and their families each year for many years to come: women who are at risk, who are either homeless or are becoming homeless and who may need to take urgent action to protect their children. The expansion translates into helping at least 30 youth girls and their families, intervening early enough for them to move on with their lives leaving the destructive patterns of addiction behind them.
There are three significant inadequacies and social issues addressed by the plan:
- Lack of abstinence-based recovery beds for women addicts in proven programs, resulting in long wait times for entry to Westminster House
- Inadequate aftercare beds and programs for women who have completed a treatment
- An inadequate number of beds for youth girls in British Columbia
- An insufficient commitment to long-term abstinence alternatives to the total service spectrum in B.C.
We recognize the struggle that women have beyond the first few months of intensive treatment: family issues, childcare, housing, relationships, education, maintaining social networks and dealing with compulsive behaviors can put a woman at risk of relapse and many addicted people relapse in the first year of recovery. Relapse will send the woman and her family spiralling back down into the grave consequences of active addiction that include: acute health problems, chronic health concerns, poverty, homelessness, child protection issues, criminality, and death. For these reasons, Westminster House is actively engaged in relapse prevention initiatives and provides sober living beds.
The environmental sustainability issues addressed by the plan is the efficient use of existing residential property to treat an urgent community need and a city-sanctioned heritage revitalization of the buildings as approved by the City of New Westminster.
Objective
To raise $3 Million dollars to fund a residential expansion of services by acquiring and building a new facility and utilizing current properties for new services.
The current houses are old, and every inch of space is currently used to house women and to run the program. The facilities are costly to maintain due to repairs, maintenance, and leasehold improvements. The acquisition and construction of a new facility will create more residential space to provide lifesaving opportunities for youth girls and women while lowering operating costs.
Service Expansion Project Objectives: to stabilize and protect the work of the Society within an expanded service model. Service Expansion Project Outcomes:
- Re purpose the current properties
- Diversify funding sources
- Help more women to find and maintain recovery
- Help youth girls find and maintain recovery
- Demonstrate positive health and social outcomes
- Strengthen the relationships between the women, and their community and circle of support
- Decrease the dependence of women clients on intensive services from primary care physicians and emergency treatment facilities
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For a copy of our Service Expansion Project details, please email susan@westminsterhouse.ca