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The Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society has sent this letter of support for Residents in Recovery sober living programs in Lloydminster to Saskatchewan and Alberta ministers of mental health and addictions.
On behalf of our membership in the community of Lloydminster, we are greatly disappointed that the Government of Alberta, in general, and the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions in particular, have chosen not to financially support the lifeÂ-changing and life-saving recovery programs of Residents in Recovery.
Residents in Recovery have successfully operated for five years. A 2023 survey of 279 past participants in Residents in Recovery was returned by 210 individuals. More than 61 per cent of the past participants said that they had not relapsed since leaving the program. These are statistics that any program, and any funding government, should be proud of.Â
Jan. 11, 2024 Residents in Recovery announced the cessation of their pre-and post-treatment sober living programs and their outpatient day programming, due to lack of funding. This removal of programming dramatically increases the danger that already vulnerable members of society in Lloydminster face.Â
The cessation of these unique services has removed HOPE for Lloydminster addicts, their families and the whole community. We are all now at greater risk for the negative impacts that addiction brings.Â
Now where do our addicts turn for assistance? To our knowledge, Alberta Health Services has no alternative options to replace the programs delivered by Residents in Recovery.
We request the portfolio of Mental Health and Addictions immediately undertake to establish a working relationship with Residents in Recovery, and actively seek out paths to equitably fund the barrier-free continuum of successful addiction and mental health programs and services provided by Residents in Recovery in Lloydminster.
