Twenty-three people who are in sober living programs at Residents in Recovery are facing the prospect of nowhere to go as Sober Living and Outpatient Programs will be shutting down in the next few weeks due to a lack of funding, say officials with the recovery society.
Tyler Lorenz, executive director says the Lloydminster non-profit which operates four homes informed both Alberta and Saskatchewan provincial governments in December about the urgent need for funding to keep the programs running.
“It’s come to a point where we just can’t continue offering it without financial support from somewhere,” says Lorenz. Also, the organization will try to absorb staff running the programs but will have to lay off those for which a role no longer exists.
Clients currently in the homes will be transitioned into other treatment programs and independent living over the next few weeks, and outpatient day programs will continue for a couple of weeks to prepare individuals for their transition, says the recovery society.
Lorenz indicates it costs about $700,000 annually to run the various programs and they have seen the funding dwindle.
“Back in 2020, I think we had over $250,000 in donations. That dropped to about $175,000 in 2021 and dropped to $75,000 in 2022. And dropped to $30,000 as of last year,” says Lorenz.
Lorenz is facing the burden that some of the residents could fall back in their recovery journey or go back to jail.
“I imagine some of them will relapse and some of them will probably end up going back to jail because they are on release conditions to be in our program,” says Lorenz as he explains they are searching for other treatment programs that can house these clients who must be in treatment as one of their conditions.
Since opening in 2018, Residents in Recovery data show nearly 32,000 clean and sober days for some 300 people with 58 people achieving one year or more sober living.
The nearly 100 people on the current waitlist will be informed to look for other options during their weekly check-ins. The family treatment program and childcare facility will continue to operate, says Lorenz.