Abbotsford, BC – With all the talk about offenders in recovery homes and the plethora of such facilities in the Fraser Valley, many of these facilities get a bad wrap.
Hopefully this turns into a good story with a happy ending.
On November 2, Abbotsford City Council will vote on a review to expand the L.I F E. Recovery Society Association Centre on Braeside Street. It is an assisted living centre for women.
The proposal doesn’t have the funding to expand from 18 to 30 beds, but with the possibility of rezoning, all the dominoes could fall into place quickly. Provincial funding is part of this equation. This would include three more storeys to the building, but neighbours have been disgruntled by what they call, noisy clients.
And then the challenge of dealing with the smoking pavillion, a must for any recovery facility.
Centre staff are trying to calm those fears. These are people in recovery that have re-learn life skills.
Then there are the fears of addicts and alcoholics in recovery that have criminal records. That is a concern for neighbours as well.
From the outside, it almost appears as a NIMBY problem.
This facility uses the 12-Step program based on AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) as well as a abstinence-based” treatment parameter that the Province has used in other facilities including Peardonville and Kinghaven in Abbotsford.
The bottom line, L.I.F.E. doesn’t allow anyone using drugs, including methadone, or actively detoxing.
It provides a supportive environment to live and to attend counselling.
The other facility similar to this in Abbotsford is Peardonville House Treatment Centre for Women., which started in 1987.
