Supportive housing units for recovering addicts eyed for Brandon, Thompson

More than 20 housing units to support people who are completing addictions recovery are planned for northern and western Manitoba.

Thompson-based Men Are Part of the Solution Inc. will provide 12 units in that region,targeted towardhelpingwomen, while nine units for the Brandon area will be developed by Community Health and Housing Association Westman Region Inc.

The new projects will provide the first supportive recovery housing units in rural and northern Manitoba, the provincial government said in a news release Friday.

Supportive recovery housing provides a stable place to live for those completing their addictions recovery, reducing the likelihood of relapse,Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery Minister Audrey Gordon said in the release.

The Manitoba government issued a request for proposals in November 2019to add supportive recovery housing units to the health-care system in the wake of the 2018 Virgo report.

The 257-page review into Manitoba's mental health and addictions system included 125 recommendations for improving access to and co-ordination of services in the province.

In June 2020, the government awarded a total of $2.1 million to Siloam Mission, Riverwood Church Community Inc. and Tamarack Recovery Inc. to develop 70 supportive recovery housing units in Winnipeg.

Friday's announcement was the next step, to expand beyond the city. The province did not say how much funding is being provided this time around, or when the new housing units would be able to start welcoming clients.

Oswald Sawh, president ofMAPSin Thompson, said in the news release that his organization's share will go toward an expansion of transitional housing services at its Phoenix House facility.

Studies show supportive recovery housing is an effective option for those in need of alcohol and drug-free housing accommodations, and improves success rates for addictions treatment, the news release said.

Over the last seven years of providing transitional housing services to men, nine out of every 10 Phoenix House clients have been able to successfully access long-term housing and reunite with family,Sawh said in the release.