The first time Michelle Jansen attempted to open a drug recovery home in Penticton, concerned neighbours purchased the $1.4 million Juniper Drive property from underneath her.
One the buyers, Jesse Duncan, told Global Okanagan at the time that neighbours were concerned about the safety of their children because they share a driveway with the property.
WATCH BELOW: ‘Concern for us was the safety of our kids’: Penticton neighbours who bought million dollar home to block drug treatment centre speak out
“A telltale sign that stigma is still a huge barrier during this opioid crisis,” said Jansen.
The Lower Mainland woman, who lost her son Brandon Jansen to a drug overdose in 2016, is determined to open a drug rehab facility in an idyllic place like Penticton.
Jansen issued a news release on Wednesday that said the “first of many” Brandon Jansen Recovery Centres in the Okanagan will open in Penticton on March 1.
This time around she is not releasing the location ahead of time.
Jansen said she plans to open facilities in Osoyoos and Vernon as well.