ASK Wellness operates on a $13 million annual budget. It has been in Kamloops since 1992 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

NON-PROFIT SERIES

STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL: ASK Wellness

Jul 30, 2019 | 3:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — In the fifth instalment of our series Struggle For Survival, we look at one of the more well-known non-profits in the city: ASK Wellness. The Aids Society of Kamloops came to be in 1992, established in response to the HIV crisis in the 1990s when many people were dying of the disease. The organization has since evolved to help people struggling with addiction and homelessness in the community. The onset of the opioid crisis has increased Ask Wellness’ presence as it tries to keep people alive.

The community kitchen at the Maverick Manor is a place to hang out, talk and connect. It’s one of ASK Wellness’ transitional housing units that’s been in operation for 18 months. ASK operates many buildings like this one in Kamloops and two other cities it serves.

“Across the region, we have over 550 units spread down in Penticton, in Merritt, and a fairly big footprint in Kamloops,” said ASK Wellness executive director Bob Hughes. “Then we have health programs, and those health programs are about helping people move away from addiction, away from mental illness.”

ASK Wellness has a partnership with Interior Health, which runs the mobile consumption site that operates on both sides of the river. It also has a number of overdose prevention sites. The non-profit has been the go-to organization during the opioid crisis, which was declared an emergency in 2016.

Chris was addicted to drugs at one point in his life, but ASK has helped as he continues to turn his life around.

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“I wouldn’t be sober today if it wasn’t for ASK Wellness,” he said. “They pushed me to get onto my medications. I wasn’t taking my medications for my mental health. But ASK Wellness was like ‘no, you have to. If you want to work our program, you’ve got to get yourself right.’ They helped me do it.”

ASK Wellness executive director Bob Hughes (centre) talks with clients at the Maverick Manor.

Chris is at the Maverick Manor, a final step of recovery before they go out and live on their own.

Linda Kilgallen is another resident at the Maverick. She found herself in a tough position, not because of addiction but because of illness. Kilgallen has Lyme Disease and has been leaning on ASK Wellness while she recovers.

“I had lost everything to [Lyme Disease]. I drove to ASK Wellness in my car, not knowing what my next day was going to be,” she said.

ASK Wellness is able to help people with a $13 million annual budget, mostly funded by the province. However, funds have not always been so available. In 2007, ASK Wellness ran on a budget of $500,000. But since it introduced housing to its portfolio in 2009, funding has increased exponentially.

“We’ve managed to ride through the difficult days of the early 2010s to 2015 by really being focused on the housing,” said Hughes. “And being cautious with how we did our grants, and so we’re feeling hopeful.”

The organization receives little in the way of donations. It has events, however, like the AIDS Walk and Mz. Judged to raise money for services that aren’t covered by government funding.

Hughes says all that ASK Wellness provides is so necessary, especially during times like this.

“Addictions in our community, particularly those that are deeply addicted on the street, it’s too easy to condemn them,” Hughes noted. “I, for one, am firmly of the belief that if you believe in people and you keep showing them the way to get well, that you will witness probably the greatest human achievement.”

Note: This article has been edited to correct that ASK Wellness does not run the mobile consumption site. It is operated by Interior Health.