Visitors were wowed as they toured the new mental health and addictions facility at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation during a grand opening event on Thursday.
The new Mental Health and Wellness Hub and Recovery Home is located on Stoneybrook Drive, at the former St. John's Anglican Church.
The facility's upstairs was converted to house six meeting rooms, an exam room, a shared kitchen, and washrooms.
Kettle and Stony Point First Nation Mental Health and Addictions Manager Julie George said the upstairs is dedicated to the wellness hub, where counseling and therapy services, and peer-based programs will be provided.
George said the hub will begin operations on Friday, October 27.
The building's basement includes living spaces as part of the recovery home. Tiny homes have also been erected outside of the building.
George said the recovery home could service up to five women and two men. However, to begin with, they'll likely house two men in the tiny homes and two women in the basement of the main building.
"We're looking to work with Habitat for Humanity to get more tiny homes and to be able to house more men. We think that this is kind of a soft launch of the program," she said. "We currently have community members who are in second-stage withdrawal management facilities, community members who are in residential treatment programs - some who have been there for up to a year and are ready to come home."
With respect to the recovery home, George said eligible referrals will be accepted from health organizations, such as Bluewater Health.
"So it's a sober living facility. There's an expectation that people have a strong foundation based on their history in detox, withdrawal management, second-stage housing, and treatment," said George.
"Often they struggle when they come back to the community. Even though they've gone to treatment and have a foundation for beginning to deal with the addiction and developing coping strategies, sometimes they come home and they don't have a safe environment to live in. So this is what the recovery home is."
The recovery home will begin accepting residents as of November 1.
Chief Kimberly Bressette said she was overwhelmed with emotion to see the site during its grand opening.
"I just feel like this is going to be the beginning of a new journey that's going to be really great for our healing for the community," she said. "I know that this place shows all of the people who are struggling with mental health and addiction, it shows them that we love and care for them."
Bressette said she has heard a lot of positive feedback from residents, noting mental health and addiction services as one of the top needs in the community.
"There's still a lot of work to be done. There's a lot of steps that we need to take going forward, creating more cultural and traditional healing here," she said. "This is just the beginning and it's amazing to see."
Work to open the Mental Health and Wellness Hub and Recovery Home began in December 2022.
