A new, 20-bed addiction recovery centre in View Royal is now open with the goal of providing women, two-spirit and gender-diverse people a supportive community as they begin their healing journey.
At the grand opening of the women's wing of the New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community on Wednesday (March 19), elected officials and local stakeholders gathered in the newly renovated centre to celebrate the new facility.
"At New Roads, women on the Island will finally have access to the treatment that they need and deserve without the heartbreaking choice of leaving everything behind. The barriers that I once faced will no longer be barriers for them and for that I am so grateful," said Lee Sundquist, manager of the facility. She explained that when she was an addict, she had to go to the Lower Mainland for treatment, leaving her two daughters behind.
"It was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. It was a really, really tough choice to make," she said.
The facility, which allows for women to stay for up to two years, is operated by Our Place Society, a Victoria organization that provides housing, shelter, substance-use recovery and other supports to vulnerable populations in the community.
"The new recovery centre here is part of our overall goal to really expand access to treatment and recovery across British Columbia and continue building out that full continuum of mental health and substance use care," said B.C. Minister of Health Josie Osborne.
Osborne said three years ago, 3,700 adults accessed a publicly funded substance use bed, and last year almost 5,400 adults received care.
"I know that the centre, the community will have a really profound impact on the women, the two-spirit, the gender diverse people of their communities [and] their families. And there is more of this really good work to do around the province," she said.
Osborne said one of the most important moments in a person's recovery journey is the moment they ask for help.
"When they do, it is essential that compassionate and effective care is available. This new recovery centre will change lives by helping more women on Vancouver Island get the right care and support, and is a vital step in strengthening mental health and substance-use services across B.C."
