Overview
Recovery communities are an important part of the Alberta Recovery Model, providing Albertans struggling with addiction access to holistic, long-term treatment free of charge.
Programming
Recovery community programming focuses on holistic addiction recovery, addressing the whole person and overall lifestyle changes needed to regain physical and mental health and wellness.
Clients can stay in a recovery community for up to one year and take part in programming that helps them improve their health and build skills to support their recovery. They can access a range of services, including opioid agonist treatment medications, counselling, employment, training, as well as financial and housing supports.
Each client receives an individualized care plan and is assigned a peer mentor, who is in the later stages of recovery. As people progress through the stages of addiction treatment and recovery, they assume greater personal and social responsibility within the recovery community.
Facilities
All recovery community operators are licensed as residential addiction treatment service providers under the Mental Health Services Protection Act (MHSPA).
A total of 11 recovery communities are being established in Alberta. The Red Deer Recovery Community and Lethbridge Recovery Community are open to clients, and nine more recovery communities are planned across the province.
Alberta is working in direct partnership with First Nations to build four recovery communities on First Nations lands – one each in Enoch Cree Nation, Tsuut’ina Nation, Siksika Nation and Blood Tribe. This is part of ongoing efforts to remove barriers to land-based, culturally safe services for Indigenous peoples in Alberta.
Red Deer Recovery Community single bedroom
Red Deer Recovery Community group meeting room
Blood Tribe Recovery Community Entrance
Blood Tribe Recovery Community double bedroom
Blood Tribe Recovery dining room
Eligibility
Eligibility requirements may be slightly different for each recovery community. Generally, to be eligible, individuals must meet the following criteria:
- an Alberta resident
- 18 years or older
- experiencing severe substance use disorder that significantly undermines their education, employment and social integration
- an individual must also have a history of unsuccessful substance use treatment or have been unable to meet their recovery needs through outpatient programs or short-term, live-in treatment facilities
Individuals who meet these criteria may apply for admission to recovery communities operating in Alberta.