Reunification home opening for Victoria women in addiction recovery and their kids

Women recovering from addiction on Southern Vancouver Island are getting a longer, safer runway before they launch back into independent living.

Our Place Society is opening a reunification home, where women who’ve completed a treatment program can live with their children in a supportive environment.

“If mom is not feeling all that confident because she’s been in treatment for quite a while — and maybe she hasn’t parented those kids even before treatment for quite some time — we’re going to be there to help support her,” New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community Director Cheryl Diebel said.

Graduates of New Roads in View Royal will have a chance to live in the reunification home for up to two years.

There are four two-bedroom apartments and living there is free.

Our Place isn’t disclosing the location of the home to protect the women who will live there.

Once renovations wrap in a few weeks, several families will move in. They’ll have access to parenting and recovery supports.

“It’s life-changing. For two extra years, I get to live somewhere safe and have counselling,” said Shawna, who is in her fourth month of treatment at New Roads.

“Just a roof over our heads will be amazing.”

CTV News is protecting the identities of the New Roads clients in this story for safety reasons.

Shawna said she’s eager to live with her son, who is currently sleeping on his grandparents’ couch.

“He’s been the driving factor in my sobriety this whole time,” she said. “He’s everything to me. Everything.”

The project costs roughly $2 million, Diebel said. It was funded entirely by donations.

The New Roads treatment program for women launched about a year ago. A program for men was established before that.

“The reason we opened a long-term women’s treatment facility is that there wasn’t a long-term treatment option for women. They actually had to leave Vancouver Island,” Diebel said.

“They would have to go to the mainland and be separated not just from their community, but from their families and their children,” she said.

The program has a waitlist of about 15 women, Diebel says more treatment and post-treatment options are needed.

After nine months at New Roads, Putu said she’s regaining her footing.

“This program has been able to really give me back my sense of self — my sense of belonging and purpose and drive,” she said.

She’s eager to live with her daughters once she graduates from the program.

“Being able to have this option of reunification is major,” she said.

“It’s definitely really significant in the family dynamic and maintaining those connections and all of the normalities of being a mom.”