A menB次元官网网址檚 addiction and mental health recovery society needs cash donations to keep providing its normal service levels following a fire in one of its recovery homes this month. 

One Life Recovery Society operates a recovery home in south Nanaimo for men trying to better their lives as they recover from addiction and struggle with their mental health, but on Jan. 18, a fire broke out in a bedroom of the house. 

Firefighters managed to contain the blaze, but smoke damage spread throughout the house, which has left it inhabitable and displaced the six men who had been living in the duplex on Seventh Street until the house can be repaired. Nanaimo Fire Rescue confirmed the cause of the fire was a mattress that ignited because it was too close to an electric baseboard heater. 

The residents who lost their belongings in the fire did not have insurance and all of the furniture in the home will have to be sent to a landfill because of chemical contamination from the smoke.

Brett Johnson, society founder and executive director, said there has been an outpouring of generosity and the society has been overwhelmed with donations of furniture, clothing and other items. One hotel in Victoria that is remodelling, he said, even offered its old furniture to refurnish the home.

B次元官网网址淎s far as clothing and furniture, weB次元官网网址檝e had so many awesome people reach out already that weB次元官网网址檙e so thankful for,B次元官网网址� Johnson said. B次元官网网址淭he thing for us is that we run on such tight margins already, with the loss of those beds B次元官网网址� we donB次元官网网址檛 know when weB次元官网网址檙e going to be able to open that house up again.B次元官网网址�

He said to continue to do the work the society is doing, itB次元官网网址檚 going to need some financial support. One Life is funded through various sources, such as the provincial government, First Nations and private clients, but those funding sources donB次元官网网址檛 pay if beds arenB次元官网网址檛 filled. The loss of six beds due to the fire represents a monthly loss of about $18,000 in revenue.

B次元官网网址淲e still have to have the same amount of staff that we do and the mortgage still has to be paid,B次元官网网址� Johnson said. 

The recovery house on Seventh Street is one of two currently operating in Nanaimo and One Life Recovery has plans to open a third. 

Johnson, who has personally experienced homelessness, knows the challenges faced by men who try to recover from addiction and mental health issues and the realities of inadequate treatment facilities. The society was founded in 2016 to provide intervention and coaching services and the recovery houses opened in 2018. 

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e having to turn people away right now, which is the hardest part,B次元官网网址� Johnson said. B次元官网网址淲hen individuals phone asking for help at their lowest point in their life and weB次元官网网址檝e got to say on the phone, we currently canB次元官网网址檛 take [anyone] and we have no idea when weB次元官网网址檒l be able to do that.B次元官网网址�

Clean-up work is currently underway. Once the house is decontaminated, the insurance company will cover contractors to carry out the work. Johnson said he has not been told when the house will be able to resume operations. 

B次元官网网址淲e just want to keep doing what weB次元官网网址檝e been doing. We just want help people,B次元官网网址� Johnson said. B次元官网网址淸Addiction] is a massive epidemic in North America and other parts of the world and we just want to show that recoveryB次元官网网址檚 possible B次元官网网址� [The fire] is a situation that has limited us [in] doing that. I have faith weB次元官网网址檙e going to get through it.B次元官网网址�

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