Regina to receive 22 new sober living spaces by end of June

Twenty-two spaces will provide recovery support, counselling and structured post-treatment care. Wayne Mantyka has more.

The Government of Saskatchewan is planning to open 22 new sober living spaces in Regina to help people transition from addiction treatment to independent living.

The province announced Thursday the spaces would be open by the end of June.

“Supportive housing like this plays a critical role in addiction recovery, providing individuals with the stability, support and guidance they need to move towards independence in their communities,” Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said in a news release.

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Programming for these spaces will be run by the Oxford House Saskatchewan non-profit.

It will include counselling with a focus on relapse prevention along with giving individuals the “time, structure and community connection needed to strengthen recovery, build life skills and support long-term wellbeing.”

“We know the recovery journey is a complex path that requires support over the short, medium and long-term. Post-treatment is a crucial part of that recovery,” added Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr.

Oxford House provides affordable transitional housing to people recovering from addictions in need of a stable and sober living environment.

According to a provincial news release, sober living programs started by Oxford House boast a 71 per cent sobriety success rate after six months and a 93 per cent sobriety success rate after one year.

“Too many people complete treatment only to face a shortage of stable recovery housing,” said Oxford House CEO Mark Soloway.

“By expanding Oxford House Saskatchewan’s existing Regina services with 22 additional beds, we are strengthening the continuum of care and creating more opportunities for individuals to move from surviving to thriving.”

To ensure families stay together during recovery, the province says it’s committed $1.15 million.

The spaces were bought and renovated by the Ministry of Social Services through its Sask. Housing Corporation at $900,000. Also chipping in is the Ministry of Health ($250,000 annually), the City of Regina ($100,000), and Oxford House Saskatchewan itself ($486,000).

“These new sober living spaces address a critical need in our city, and Regina is proud to play a role in making them possible,” Mayor Chad Bachynski said.

Sask. Housing Corporation has worked with Oxford House to provide a total of 91 sober living spaces in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and now Regina for a total of $3.861 million.

The Government of Saskatchewan says this project supports its initiative of providing 500 treatment spaces by March 2027 as par of the Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions.

As of Thursday, 355 of the spaces have been made available.