A new substance abuse recovery house proposed for the Garibaldi Estates was well received by nieghbours during a Sea to Sky Community Services educational evening Tuesday March 6 at St. John the Divine Anglican Church.
"I don't see how anyone could argue against it," said Lyle Fenton, a trustee for the school board who lives next door to the new location on Diamond Head Road in the Garibaldi Estates. "One neighbour down the street from me said he thinks we need 20 of them."
The Sea to Sky Support Recovery House (SSSRH) is part of Sea to Sky's outreach program, and is currently located in a six-bed house off of Highway 99.
The SSSRH will be located on church property, within St. John's rectory.
"We had a meeting of the parish late last spring, just to ask the parish if they would support us working with Sea to Sky in using our rectory for this," said Rev. Mike Stutchbery. "The parish voted unanimously to pursue it."
However, a few members of the parish have since expressed concerns that the SSSRH is an inappropriate use for the residence.
"We understand that there are a few people around the community who may have fears about it, so we see it as our church's responsibility, and that of Sea to Sky, to educate them and help allay those fears," said Stutchbery. "We feel it is a good match for our responsibilities to the community, and in our role of working to heal the community.
The facility has 24-hour supervision and is designed for people trying to conquer their addictions to drugs or alcohol. Admittees must be adults, who have been addiction free for at least two weeks prior to moving into the house.
"The average stay is 90 days; however, clients may request an extension at the discretion of SSSRH staff," said Denise Evans, of the society's alcohol and drug services program.
The public in attendance at the meeting - the first of two Sea to Sky has planned, with second at 6 p.m. on April 16 at St. John's -expressed general concerns about how something must be done to address alcohol and drug related problems in Squamish. Concerned residents spanned in age from senior citizens, to a 14 year-old student, most of whom agreed that steps must be taken to decrease the impact of addictions on our community.
"I'm quite OK with it, if it's run according to their guidelines," said Fenton.
