Chilliwack, B.C., addictions centre facing significant budget shortfall

A recovery house in the Fraser Valley is worried about its ability to keep the lights on this holiday season.

Joshua House, an addiction treatment centre in Chilliwack, is facing a $70,000 hole in its budget, as  inflation eats into its funds, operators said.

The centre is treating more than 100 men battling severe addictions at eight different homes.

“(Our place) is important because it gives men hope that have no hope. They think everything is gone and it’s not,” Joshua House spokesperson Richard Korkowski said.

Joshua House is a registered mental health and substance use home. The program is faith-based, and it receives funding from the B.C. government and some churches.

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“(For) our gala, we had forecasted that we would make over $100,000… (it) wasn’t even close,” said Anita Korkowski said, another Joshua House representative.

Global News reached out to B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside and asked if there was a solution for funding issues.

Whiteside was not available for an interview but the ministry did offer a statement, although it did not address Joshua House’s specific concerns.

A ministry spokesperson said the province raised daily rates in 2019 for income assistance clients who are living at registered or licensed facilities.

“To help more people access services, the province is making unprecedented investments toward all areas of the treatment and recovery sector, including a historic $586 million in Budget 2023 to help more people have access to the services they need closer to home,” the spokesperson said.

For now, Richard Korkowski said he is praying for a way to cover the $70,000 shortfall. Many of the men who cycle through the Joshua House program said every dollar helps.

“(Joshua House) changed everything. I lost my wife, (and) now for the first time in three months, I get to talk to my daughter,” said Jason Westwood, a Joshua House patient.

The recovery centre is always looking for donations, from bathroom items to clothing. Anyone that wishes to donate can visit Joshua House’s website.

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