Calgary addiction facility pitches Alberta NDP for $7M in funding

WATCH ABOVE: A Calgary addicitions treatment facility says its expansion plans are on hold pending provincial government funding. Gary Bobrovitz reports.

CALGARY – A Calgary addictions treatment facility says its expansion plans are on hold pending funding from the Alberta government. Recovery Acres Society’s 1835 House needs $7 million for a proposed new building, which was money promised by the previous Progressive Conservatives. But it was never delivered.

“I would have been homeless out on the streets of Calgary,” said a 24-year-old former addict who credits 1835 House with saving him. “It was quite a frightening experience, and 1835 House has got me in into a program and working towards a goal of getting me better.”

Thirteen thousand men have received services at the addictions recovery facility over the past 42 years in southwest Calgary. The service demand has been so great, the program is set to expand into a new $14-million building. But it needs $7 million from the provincial government.

View image in full screen

The funds were promised by Jim Prentice’s regime two weeks before the May election. Now, the plea is targeting Premier Rachel Notley and the NDP.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said 1835 House fund director Rob Laird. “I’m very hopeful. I believe this government will really help. I think they are a very social program type of government. I think they see this program is very worthwhile.”

The proposed site for the new facility is just an empty field in the northeast community of Tuxedo. When it’s completed, it’s set to be a 16,000-square-foot building with 44 beds exclusively for men. Part of the new plan includes converting the current southwest Calgary facility into a “women’s only” recovery centre.

The NDP health minister’s office says Sarah Hoffman needs more clarity on the issue before making a decision. Hoffman is set to meet with Laird later this summer to gather more information.

The new building is shovel-ready with plans and permits lined up. Those permits expire at the end of November, so a decision is needed in the next few months.