‘I gave it literally everything I had’: London group attempts to reopen men’s addictions treatment centre

After having to close due to funding issues, addiction treatment facility Forest City Healing Centre is set to reopen this fall. CTV's Bryan Bicknell reports.

A London group is hoping to fill what it believes is a major gap in addictions treatment for men.

After a short-lived opening earlier this year, the Forest City Healing Centre is attempting to relaunch, albeit while facing significant financial challenges ahead.

Co-founder Drew Weir says he won’t be deterred.

“If this doesn’t succeed, I do know I gave it literally everything I had for the last two years,” Weir conceded.

Weir says he knows what it’s like to have a substance addiction and need support.

“Drunk driver hit me from behind at a stop-sign, and from that I got prescribed opioids,” he explained.

Now in recovery, he wants to help others get clean. Weir and a partner are attempting to reopen a centre to treat men from all socio-economic backgrounds, to work through their substance addictions, and come out the other side.

“When they decide they want to stop using substances, they have the ability to come to a centre like this, go through a structured program, learn a bunch about themselves, be around like-minded people, and have the opportunity to leave here after a period of time where they’ve had that chance to rebuild themselves,” he said.

Located at 534 Queens Ave. in London, the Forest City Healing Centre is described as a therapeutic recovery residence. It had opened earlier this year, but only for a couple of months. Financial and regulatory hurdles forced its closure, Weir says.

“Part of it is my lack of experience in the business world. There’s a lot of moving parts to function something like this. Twenty beds, big facility, large staff,” he said.

The centre has now partnered with London-based KGK Science, which provides wellness supports, explained KGK CEO and Founder Najla Guthrie.

“With psychotherapy, with treatment, with various different treatments, with nutrition, looking after the whole person, helping them to cope with their trauma,” she said.

Weir stresses that what the centre is not, is a shelter. Rather it’s an abstinence-based program to help men through their addictions until they’re ready to step back out into the world.

But helping them make that step won’t come cheap. Weir says several hundred thousand dollars has already been invested into the facility, adding that he’s hoping to raise an additional $300,000 to $500,000 to be able to reopen this September.

The group is looking for private sponsors and has launched an online fundraising campaign to help achieve that target.

“There’s been no government handouts or city handouts or anything. This is strictly citizens of the city that know this has to be here,” Weir said.