A group pf concerned business owners, citizens and municipal councillors in the Cowichan Valley are partnering with an established drug and alcohol addiction recovery society to open a 20-bed recovery and treatment centre for men in North Cowichan on Bell McKinnon Road.
The group is called CleanUp V9L (V9L is part of the postal code for much of the Cowichan Valley), and the recovery society, known as Together We Can Drug & Alcohol Recovery & Education Society (TWC), has been operating in the Lower Mainland since 1993 and currently has 400 beds spread throughout dozens of homes in those communities.
The TWC said that by utilizing a proven recovery model, the society strives to ensure that each participant coming through their treatment centres is ready to re-integrate into society as a recovered and reinvented person
Garry Bruce, a Duncan city councillor and a founding member of V9L, said that as a group of concerned citizens, members of V9L are frustrated with the lack of movement towards recovery and treatment in the Cowichan Valley.
“Teaming up with local business people and several other municipal councillors, we held two community meetings and came up with a plan for a recovery centre here in the Valley,” Bruce said.
“After several discussions with TWC, we came up with a localized plan and secured a location that will work perfectly for a 20-bed facility for men in North Cowichan.“
North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said the announcement of the new centre represents a welcome step toward expanding access to addictions treatment and recovery to help individuals and families recover and thrive.
He said it's well known that this service is desperately needed in the Cowichan region as so many people continue to struggle with addictions.
Douglas said council members and staff have toured several treatment and recovery centres on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, including the Together We Can facility in Vancouver, and since then, North Cowichan staff has been working with the non-profit organization to secure a site for a new treatment and recovery centre in the community.
"As with any project, there are regulatory processes in place to ensure the facility is safe for residents and the use is permitted through zoning," he said.
"The property being considered is zoned to allow a 10-bed treatment facility. However, we understand Together We Can would like to expand this to allow up to 20 beds. This would be subject to a rezoning application and public hearing, which will allow for transparent community dialogue and informed decision making."
V9L’s Facebook page said the mission of the group is to “foster collaboration among diverse groups and individuals, compelling governments to prioritize the safety of local children as they commute to school or visit friends, ensuring that every resident feels secure and takes pride in calling the Valley their home”.
“We are committed to revitalizing our business community, liberating it from the persistent concerns of graffiti, vandalism, and the cleanup of hazardous materials like needles and waste,” V9L’s Facebook page said.
“Simultaneously, we aim to help provide essential support to individuals struggling with addiction, guaranteeing that those in need receive the assistance they require.”
Susan Hogarth, TWC’s director of planning and development, said V9L reached out to the society with their ideas for a Cowichan Valley-based treatment centre, and TWC was encouraged by the group's commitment for recovery focused on local addicted and homeless people.
"TWC has been working with the Municipality of North Cowichan and the community for over a year," she said.
“We are so happy to partner with V9L and open the first recovery and treatment centre in North Cowichan in years. Everybody in the region has been very supportive."
V9L is planning another community event in the near future to discuss TWC's plans for a women's treatment centre and aftercare sober housing, and the group encourages people to follow its Facebook page for more information.
“Now that we’ve secured a men’s facility, our focus will be on a women’s treatment centre and a separate aftercare and sober house, in conjunction with TWC,” said North Cowichan councillor Tek Manhas, who is another of V9L’s founding members.
“While the province and our local governments continue to write unworkable plans, we decided to act. The North Cowichan TWC treatment centre shows that like-minded business people and citizens can get things done while governments can’t.”
