AADAC PROGRAM HELPS PEOPLE GET ON THEIR LIVES ON TRACK

For those struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues
living in alternative housing projects, an inability to access the
resources required to get their lives on track can create a vicious
cycle that is difficult to escape.

Getting off the streets may be the first tiny step, but it won't take
you very far if you can't get across the city for counselling sessions.

Or worse yet, you make the effort only to find they aren't helping and
you have to go somewhere else.

It's under such circumstances that relapses and regressions occur. The
person more often than not finds themselves right back where they started.

However, a program recently initiated by a transition home for people
with physical or mental handicaps in collaboration with the local
Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) branch hopes to
resolve some of these issues for its residents.

For the past six weeks, AADAC counsellors have been spending half days
each second Thursday meeting with Willow Place residents in a facility
known as the Clubhouse - a house next door that has been converted
into office space.

One resident - who did not want to give his name - who has been
staying at Willow Place since last fall, says the program has helped
him find some stability in his life.

He suffers with attention-deficit disorder, is bipolar and has for
years been afflicted with bouts of severe depression.

His symptoms become exacerbated with chronic substance
abuse.

After moving to Grande Prairie and spending two years at the Wapiti
dorm, his addictions were holding him back, he said.

"Just being at Willow Place has made a whole difference in the world
for me in terms of being able to establish short-range and long-range
goals, because with a roof over my head I can think clearer, I can
look after my personal needs in better fashion," he said.

Having always had a problem opening up to people, he found it
difficult to be proactive and seek group-based counselling.

But having counsellors be so much more accessible has made all the
difference.

"Because I am able to open up, that trust factor increases and then I
can express more clearly what I am going through, which in turn allows
the counsellors to pinpoint more clearly how to help me.

'Proving Beneficial'

"This is where the outreach program with AADAC is proving beneficial
for me because I can come right here and talk to people about what
ever is going on with me . . . if I have a relapse and get all
depressed about it . . . if things are going bad at work, whatever,
you can talk about anything and it helps so much," the 51-year-old
said.

"The benefits of coming here and working things out . . . the
environment is non-judgmental and encouraging and it is providing me
with all the options I need to accomplish my goals."

"One of the challenges for many people, especially street people, is
lack of transportation and the distances they have to go to access the
resources. Having it come here has made all the difference in the
world. The proximity/distance factor is large."

The program underscores the importance collaborative efforts play in
helping the homeless become self-sufficient, said Dalvin Napen,
executive director of the Alberta Northwest Region of the Canadian
Mental Health Association - which operates Willow Place.

Monday marked the start of National Mental Health Week.

"There are many people in need and for us, to be able to tie supports
to housing is so important, because we want to keep people in housing,
we don't want them to lose their housing.

"We don't want (them) to go backward, we want (them) to go forward, so
that support is very important to us."

The new program format having been in place for just a couple of
months has provided counsellors the opportunity to perform
case-management including early intervention, crisis prevention and
ongoing monitoring.

While access for residents to the counselling has varied each time out
depending on the pace of the visits, plans are in the works to have
the initiative expanded to a weekly occurrence.

"There is opportunity in the future ... a lot of it will depend on the
partnership and the resources available," said Napen.