In an unassuming character house on a quiet street nestled in the heart of James Bay, magic is happening at the Threshold Housing SocietyB次元官网网址檚 youth recovery program.

Inside the eight-bedroom home, people aged 15 to 25 are working to become the best version of themselves through therapy and education focused on harm reduction strategies and life skills, all aimed at keeping them alive while building them up for the road to recovery.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 the goal B次元官网网址� to keep young people alive as they learn how to navigate life and substance use in an increasingly dangerous landscape, said Kacie Stirrett, manager of ThresholdB次元官网网址檚 supportive recovery program.

B次元官网网址淭here is a significant focus on adult services, but with youth there isnB次元官网网址檛 as much focus as I think there needs to be,B次元官网网址� Stirrett said. B次元官网网址淭here is this perspective that before the age of 19, no one uses substances, but as soon as they turn 19, theyB次元官网网址檙e going to need those services. I think the earlier an intervention or support service that you can provide to somebody, the better success rate.B次元官网网址�

Threshold Housing Society is a housing-first organization, focused on providing unhoused youth with a place to live, but Stirrett said many of the youth interacting with the organization also face some sort of drug use.

With kids from a variety of backgrounds, educational levels and economic standings, the program also requires a range of approaches.

B次元官网网址淲e have youth who are working into university and we have youth that have not pursued or had access to education and so something that our program does well is we try and offer a multitude of different learning styles, whether that is spoken or written, one-to-one, group, art therapy,B次元官网网址� Stirrett said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just trying to find as many ways to connect with these youth as possible because we recognize there is a range of learning abilities.B次元官网网址�

There are a variety of reasons youth drug use is treated differently from adult drug use. Stigma, for one, impacts drug users of all ages, but Angela McNulty-Buell, the director of housing and support services at Threshold, said it has a significant effect on youth.

B次元官网网址淭here is a real taboo in having a real conversation about how you can support youth to safely use substances,B次元官网网址� McNulty-Buell said. B次元官网网址淭hat is really triggering for a lot of folks, because none of us want youth to use and we can all be on the same page as that, but it is not real.B次元官网网址�

School surveys have found that 60 per cent of Grade 7 to 9 students in Canada reported substance use and the number of people under 19 dying from toxic drugs has increased from five in 2012 to 34 in 2022, according to the BC Coroners Service.

The silencing effect that comes from avoiding those conversations, Stirrett said, results in shame, which prompts people who use drugs to do so alone B次元官网网址� increasing the chances of overdosing.

B次元官网网址淲e need to have the conversations that substance use is not inherently bad, that good people use drugs and those people need love and care just like the rest of us,B次元官网网址� Stirrett said. B次元官网网址淭he more willing we are to have those conversations, I think a safer community we will have.B次元官网网址�

ThatB次元官网网址檚 why everything is a conversation at Threshold.

The first conversation they have with youth entering the four-month program is about what recovery looks like for them B次元官网网址� whether thatB次元官网网址檚 abstinence, using cannabis as a harm reduction tool or engaging in safe use practises to either use less or use more safely.

Detoxing can be a significant barrier for youth, so it is not a mandate for the program. A stability period is preferred, but Stirrett said abstinence from all substances is not the only form of recovery.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of the time, the youth coming into our programs just donB次元官网网址檛 have those coping skills. They havenB次元官网网址檛 had a role model who was able to model emotional regulation and things like that,B次元官网网址� Stirrett said. B次元官网网址淪o often times, we will support use of cannabis or tobacco as a form of harm reduction while weB次元官网网址檙e also on-boarding other strategies.B次元官网网址�

Youth may come into the program needing to use 30 times a day B次元官网网址� with each urge prompting a conversation about why those feelings are there, how to handle them and if that can happen without the drug. Slowly, though, Stirrett said that sheB次元官网网址檚 seen that number go to 10 times a day, and then three, and then zero, as the coping skills build up and youth in the program grow more resilient.

Encouraging youth who use drugs to be honest, open and vulnerable is one way Threshold reaches success, but that has to go both ways for it to work well.

B次元官网网址淚 think we create safety when we hold space and when we are open-minded,B次元官网网址� McNulty-Buell said. B次元官网网址淪o as a parent of teenagers myself and as somebody who has been doing this work for a long time, I find myself really saying less and listening more and checking my judgment and my preconceived notions about what should youth in our community be doing.B次元官网网址�

The evidence of the power of the program is all over the house.

From a wall with messages written by those who have moved on, to homemade art and poetry, it is clear the conversations happening in the home are working. Walking through the house feels like walking through a home, where a little white dog in a tie-dye shirt runs to greet you and there is a fairy garden in the yard.

B次元官网网址淵outh really make it their own. They have their own private bedrooms and bathrooms, but we have a shared living room and kitchen, weB次元官网网址檙e staffed 24/7 and so there is always someone on shift that can support youth through whatever theyB次元官网网址檙e doing,B次元官网网址�

Many of the youth Stirrett has seen through the program have gone on to finish their education or secure jobs, while effectively balancing their triggers and protecting their health.

B次元官网网址淭he youth that are coming through are really impressive kids,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hey are really achieving the goals they set out to do, whether theyB次元官网网址檙e work, school, relational B次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檙e just doing really cool things.B次元官网网址�

The care provided here is life-changing and at the end of the program, many transition into the housing supports Threshold offers, only strengthening the work done and supporting the work to come. That continuity of care is what sets ThresholdB次元官网网址檚 program apart and contributes to the longevity of success in moderating drug use for the kids who go through the program.

B次元官网网址淚f our youth donB次元官网网址檛 have a safe place to go after the program, IB次元官网网址檓 not going to discharge them back to homelessness,B次元官网网址� Stirrett said. B次元官网网址淚f theyB次元官网网址檙e still working on the program, theyB次元官网网址檙e still doing the steps, then I want them here. A lot of our youth from our supportive recovery program are able to transition onto our housing program which will then support youth up until theyB次元官网网址檙e 25, until basically their 26th birthday. So we are really sending them on a really supported trajectory into their early adult life.B次元官网网址�

Improving the addiction care system in the long term is, in part, dependant on resources like ThresholdB次元官网网址檚 recovery program, Stirrett said, which set out to identify and treat substance abuse early on.

The wait-lists for detox beds in the adult sector are long, and getting continuous treatment can be arduous and expensive, which is why McNulty-Buell said they need to work to get ahead of substance abuse, not ignore it.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e really uncomfortable having these conversations around youth being homeless and around youth being addicted to substances B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 shameful, so as a society and community we donB次元官网网址檛 want to talk about it, but we need to,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e doomed to fail if we donB次元官网网址檛 stop the influx of people into the adult system. We are just going to continue to be backlogged, to be over-burdened and weB次元官网网址檙e doomed to fail.B次元官网网址�