The Salvation Army London Centre of Hope’s Recovery Community Centre will be staying open for another year, thanks to support from the organization’s Ontario headquarters.
The program, which helps people recover from substance abuse, was started as a pilot project in 2020 and was set to close when funding ended in March.
The investment from the Salvation Army’s Ontario Divisional Headquarters allows it to continue for another 12 months until the end of March 2023. The bridge funding gives the London Centre of Hope enough time to look for other ways to fund the project.
“We are very grateful for this bridge funding as our Recovery Community Centre program is essential in helping individuals with their addictions recovery,” said Glenn van Gulik, divisional secretary for public relations with The Salvation Army Ontario Division. “Our primary goal is to continue to be an innovative partner in London and support our community’s most vulnerable.”
He estimates the program costs anywhere from $600,000 to $700,000 to run annually, depending on how many participants they have at the time.
Moving forward, van Gulik said they will be looking to the government and community partners to help them keep the program running after the 12-month period ends.
The funding means 26 residents in the program can remain living on-site, working towards their recovery during this transition.
The Recovery Community provides a “holistic” approach to recovery, with clients having the option to stay on site or access daily drop-in programming and support.
“Everyone’s journey in addiction recovery is unique and those supports are sometimes difficult to find if there is not a full residential component attacked, so this recovery program allows individuals in the gap to find the support they need on daily basis,” van Gulik said.
The Recovery Community Centre program is showing positive results, with organizers reporting that 43 per cent of participants successfully transitioned back into the community and 24 per cent of those transitioning found employment while in the program.
The Salvation Army also reports that 82 per cent of participants successfully achieved at least 30 days of recovery, all of which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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