RECOVERY HOUSE RESOLUTION WILL BE WELCOME AT UBCM

The Problem Is Grimly Ironic.

A drug addict successfully detoxifies and receives counselling that
is supposed to help him or her stay clean. Bound to rejoin society,
they book themselves into one of Abbotsford's 30-or-so unregulated
recovery houses, where they presumably will receive the support of
other former addicts trying to rebuild their lives, and inexpensive
housing while they get back on their feet financially.

But the house offers no counselling or other services, its occupants
are openly using drugs, and recovery is all but impossible.

The very same facilities that are supposed to be helping drug addicts
are keeping them hooked.

These unregulated houses are an issue that Abbotsford and other
Fraser Valley cities, most notably Surrey, have been wrestling with.

City Council has made a good first move with a new recommendation
that it will send to the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in
Victoria later this month. Abbotsford wants the support of the UBCM
in lobbying the provincial government to be responsible for
monitoring all recovery houses.

Currently, the province only regulates houses which offer two or more
prescribed services, and they get a community care facility licence.
It took that position in 2001, leaving municipalities to oversee the
many houses that do not offer the two prescribed services.

Unfortunately, while the province downloaded this responsibility on
cities, it did not offer any new funding or regulations.

The city also has a committee working on the problem, but its
findings and recommendations have not yet been made public.
Hopefully, it will recommend a more active role from the city,
because as Coun. John Smith has pointed out in the past, the city has
so far done nothing to improve the situation at recovery houses in Abbotsford.

It is a critical issue, because addicts who want to change, who want
to get clean, must be given a fighting chance.