DONOR STEPS UP TO COVER ADDICTION SHORTFALL

Ten years ago Alouette Addictions Services had more money to play
with and more staff.

Today, after the community it serves has grown from 35,000 to 90,000,
they have fewer resources than ever. But thanks to a private
donation, executive director Ron Lawrance has been able to hire a
director of clinical care.

Starting next week, he added, Alouette will also have a
quick-response counsellor on hand to deal with people who require
help and can't wait for it.

Since Alouette began expanding its scope of care and offering
information and other services on demand in December, Lawrance said
there have been significant results.

"We had one man who had actually stepped in front of a bus. He came
to our group for five days, and at the end of it, he walked past the
receptionist whistling.

"There is treatment happening."

Lawrance added the public misunderstands the term "service-on-demand"
which is being bandied about the city.

"Service-on-demand doesn't mean you can get into a Cadillac and go
off to treatment.

"If you want treatment, we will make sure there are no obstacles in your way."

But expecting a bed in a residential rehab program the moment it is
asked for is unrealistic and, at times, unwarranted, Lawrance said.

One of the biggest challenges facing Alouette, he said, is lack of funding.

The Fraser Health Authority allots a specific amount of funding to go
toward rehabilitation beds. That money is drawn upon by various
referral agencies throughout the authority, Lawrance said.

Those with low or no income can use that funding to pay for rehab.

The problem is, he said, is that at certain times of the fiscal year,
that pot runs dry, and there is no money left for low or no income
people requiring addictions services.

"It becomes depleted very quickly," he said of the fund, and he told
city councillors on Tuesday night that presently, there is no money available.

"It is a challenge that faces us . . . but we also have to live in a
real world and realize it isn't a bottomless pit.

"That's why we're trying to get creative."

One way of making the money stretch farther, he said, is to offer
less expensive, but equally as effective remedies, including day
treatment programs.

The misconception, Lawrance continued, is that people who are
addicted to drugs or alcohol all require a residential programs.

While that's the case in many circumstances, it's not the rule.

"Our residential facilities are full, too. They're not sitting empty."