WOMEN'S CENTRE ON BORROWED TIME

It may be the end of the line for B.C.'s only rehabilitation centre for
drug-addicted young women.

Campbell Valley Women's Centre, a 15-bed facility which opened its doors on
216 Street in South Langley in 1999, is next on the chopping block,
according to the centre's executive director, Terry-Lee Seeley.

This despite the fact that it is a federally-funded program, said Seeley.

Throughout the centre's three-year history, Seeley and owner Carl Stroh
have operated on a contract basis with the provincial government which,
using federal money, has purchased bed space for drug- and alcohol-
addicted women in trouble with the law.

Seeley said that until recently she was unaware the centre was funded
through "slippage dollars", reallocated or leftover money from other
government projects.

As of March 31, she learned recently, those dollars will stop flowing entirely.

"We're feeling as though this government is taking a limited view of
provisions to youth," said Seeley.

"For the girls we're working with . . . it can mean life or death for them."

Campbell Valley Centre offers a 12-week treatment program (not detox) for
women aged 13 to 19. Counselors address a variety of issues, from drug
dependency to family conflict, to sexual exploitation and physical abuse.

The facility has a 50 per cent success rate, reported Seeley, meaning half
the women who complete the program are still drug and alcohol free one year
later. That is a good average, she added.

Most have reconnected with their families, have finished their probation
without getting into trouble and are back in school.

"Those are our three main goals," she said.

As of mid-March, there were only three women in residence. The centre quit
taking in new clients when they learned about the funding cut. Two of those
now at the centre will have their treatment cut off midstream when the
money stops.

Beds have also been available for private purchase at a cost of about
$17,000 for three months or $200 per day. The price is prohibitive for many
who need treatment, but the centre has drawn women from as far away as Alberta.

But Langley-Abbotsford MP Randy White, who has been a vocal supporter of
the centre since it opened in the spring of 1999, wants to know why the
centre has to look outside the province for clients when there are so many
local teens who could use the help, if the funding was made available.

Both Seeley and White point out the new law enacted last year to replace
the Young Offenders Act requires the provinces to seek out alternative
sentencing for youth before incarcerating them.

Campbell Valley Centre, they said, fits the criteria perfectly.

"Most of our girls would qualify," said Seeley.

"The intent of the law, I think, is not being carried out. The government
will need centres like ours for these girls."

"Nobody puts a priority on this. These people are sort of a pain," said
White. "For kids it's a lifeline, the last option before they hit the
streets for good."

B.C.'s Solicitor General and Aldergrove/Fort Langley MLA Rich Coleman
confirmed the centre's funding, once it ends on March 31, will likely not
be renewed.

The ministry of health, which recently took over the portfolio, is
examining its priorities, he said.

Coleman indicated he has heard from several different groups that have
expressed an interest in taking over the project.

One group, said Coleman, declining to name names, "doesn't have much doubt
they could fill (all 15) beds."

The provincial government is eager to create public/private partnerships
wherever possible, and Coleman said the rehabilitation centre is one option.

Coleman said he and White have discussed the centre a number of times and
added the two men will keep in touch on the subject.

On Monday, Langley MLA and Minister of State for Women's Equality, Lynn
Stephens weighed in, pledging her support for the women's centre - in
principle.

"Campbell Valley provides a valuable service to addicted young women,"
Stephens stated in a prepared release, "and I will certainly be doing
everything I can do to assist the organization in applying for funding
assistance.

"However," Stephens continued, "I must point out that Campbell Valley . . .
has been well aware it was receiving unallocated federal government funding
on an interim basis only until a permanent program could be set up across
the province."

Federal Youth Justice Initiatives funding from Ottawa, intended to provide
treatment beds across the province, has been allocated for 2003-04,
Stephens explained.

That B.C.-wide program is now in place and at this time, Campbell Valley is
not in the mix.

"I will assist Campbell Valley Women's Centre in applying for provincial
funds, but I will also encourage them to seek the option of private payment
from families who wish to assist their addicted children."

Canadian Alliance MP White, meanwhile, has maintained that the Langley
centre is the ideal place to help women without the financial means to help
themselves.

During an interview with The Times in October, 1999, White expressed his
disgust with the lack of government support, both provincial and federal,
for the centre.

"With the number of drug-addicted girls on our streets and this (facility)
sitting here empty, what's the real cost when they're out stealing to
support their drug habits," he questioned at the time.

"It's time we did our part," White said last week.

"I'm asking business people, churches, local politicians to work together,"
said White.

"I want people to contact my office and tell me how they can help us."