Kyle never wanted to get help. The 33-year-old Montreal resident, whose identity CTV is not revealing for privacy reasons, had been using drugs since the age of 15. He describes himself as a “functional user” who was able to hold down a job while being an addict. “The longest I could go was two weeks without using,” he says, “I’ve never tried rehabilitation before, so I was very nervous coming here to Dunham House.” After what he calls “a few near-death experiences,” and thinking of his seven-year-old daughter’s future, he finally decided it was enough. The rehab facility in the Eastern Townships is one of the only places in the province where residents can be treated for both addiction and mental health disorders at the same time. While it’s been open for over a decade, it says the provincial certification to address the dual issues is in its early stages. “It’s so new that there are only four places in Quebec that are accredited for both, and we will be the first one in English,” says executive director Victoria Della Porta. Dunham House In addition to group and individual therapy or counseling and classes, the 84-acre property boasts a chicken coop, greenhouse and garden, and swimming pond. “I don’t think there’s anybody in Quebec that does exactly what we do,” says general manager Murray Brohman, also highlighting its English-only status. “There’s always bits and pieces. There are a lot of recovery places, but recovery is only a part of what we are,” adding part of the goal is to give some structure to residents, but allowing them to choose leisure activities that will help them reintegrate back to daily life once through the program. There are 38 available spots at Dunham House. Some are private where the residents are responsible for the cost of treatment; others are partially publicly funded. While Dunham House does receive some funding from the province, it is not enough to keep it afloat. It receives a quarterly lump sum which totals $144,000 for the year through a program called AFRHD. In addition, it receives $62.43 per public resident per day. “The government pays us nowhere near enough according to what it costs to run this,” says Brohman. “Depending on the amount of people we have, it’s up in the vicinity of $200 a day,” he estimates. That means the rehab runs at a deficit described as “well into the $100,000s,” and relies on donations to bridge the gap. Quebec’s health ministry responds Della Porta explains one of the requirements for the per-patient provincial funding is that residents must be on social assistance or welfare to qualify. Beyond that, the guidelines for the dollar amount each rehab gets are unclear. “Each other center has different amounts, and we don’t know why. What are they based on? What are the criteria?” Della Porta said. CTV reached out to the health ministry, which responded, “The financing criteria are documented in the ‘Normes AFRHD 2025-2028 and were transmitted by the Ministry to Santé Quebec and its establishments, as well as rehabilitation associations. The Ministry takes it as a given that those documents were transmitted to member institutions.” Dunham House confirmed it had not received any documentation about AFRHD funding. CTV also followed up with the health ministry regarding the per-patient funding guidelines but has not yet heard back. Those funding concerns aren’t just at Dunham House. According to the Association Québécoise des Centres D’intervention en Dépendance’s (AQCID) Bruno Ferrari, many rehabs are operating at a loss and having to find alternate ways to fund their public spaces, including donations. “It’s nonsense,” he says, “we’re trying to make the numbers work while we should be just focusing on quality and taking care of these people (patients).” Communication issues with the government On top of the lack of clarity, Dunham House says communication with the government has also been an issue. “Last year we all received a letter that our next AFRHD installment would be stopped, and we had no recourse,” says Della Porta. “We had no explanation, no communication, no reason.” Weeks later, she received word that the decision was reversed but adds it creates uncertainty about relying on Quebec. The center is also receiving an increasing number of applications from Montreal. About 75 per cent of residents are now coming from the city, hearing of Dunham House through health resources or shelters. “English speakers from Montreal used to be provided services through an agreement between CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-L’île-de-Montreal and the CISSS Monteregie-Ouest,” explains Ferrari. “They had this agreement until March 30. So starting April 1, 2026, the Monteregie-Ouest doesn’t provide these services anymore to the English speakers of Montreal.” Resources needed The goal is to find resources within the city, closer to where people are living. Ferrari adds, though, many of those services, especially bilingual ones, are already full and have lengthy waiting lists. That’s now becoming a growing problem at Dunham House as well. “I have 46 people that are currently looking for a place, ” says Brohman. “We’re doing the government’s job; we take care of people that need help.” “The residents that come to us are coming from the streets of Montreal,” adds Della Porta, explaining many also face homelessness and unemployment in addition to addiction. While significant challenges are ensuring the doors stay open, Dunham House’s residents say it’s been a lifeline. “I’m still finding things I like creative-wise like writing and pottery,” says Kyle, “there’s tons of things that I didn’t even think I would enjoy doing.” After using for most of his life, he’s now 30 days sober. “Coming here was way better than I expected,” he says, “I’m doing this a lot for my daughter as well. I don’t want to disappoint her. I don’t want to end up dead.”
