During a month where kindness is being expressed everywhere in Lloydminster, it’s very apropos that Resident’s in Recovery is keeping its doors open.
The downtown pre-treatment facility was in need of $35,000 by Feburary 28th. With a few days to spare and plenty of man-hours and donations, the facility will stay open for the time being due to help from the community.
Program Director Tyler Lorenz says he simply wants to thank everyone who showed their support.
“It’s been amazing. All the kind words and grateful gestures have been incredible. We see it as staff, the board and the clients, definitely.”
Coming not as a surprise to Lorenz, he says the centre was able to pay outstanding operational costs and bills due to the community stepping up. He says the floodgates of support that poured in shows the community sees a need for the facility’s services.
“When we put the [the need for fundraising notice] out, I wasn’t expecting to raise that much money that fast. It’s just so overwhelming and we’re just so grateful.”
The money raised will allow the facility to have one full-time and one part-time employee. Lorenz says the organization plans to hire another full-time employee this year.
“We have a lot of people here in a day. We average about 20 people a day for programming sometimes up as high of 25 people a day. It’s a lot of people to manage combined with calls and applications in a day.”
“We have over 70 people on the waiting list. Capacity has always been a problem for us.”
After months of seeing funds deplete, Lorenz says reaching the fundraising goal is a huge weight off his shoulders.
“It gives me the opportunity to focus back on the clients and what needs to be done here at the centre to support them rather than being sidetracked by the financial side of things.”
“We’re are one of the very few pre-treatment sober living programs in Canada. It’s a blessing to have that in our community. There are very few options for individuals coming out of detox, jail or the Reman to get immediately into a program until they get a government-funded residential treatment bed like the Thorpe Recovery Centre.”
The organization will continue fundraising efforts over the next couple of months to reach a goal of $55,000. The facility is looking to get through until May when they have a golf tournament fundraiser, which Lorenz says will cover them for four to six months.
