VisionQuest currently houses about 45 men in its recovery program with capacity for 60 on their property outside of Logan Lake (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

VISIONQUEST RECOVERY SOCIETY

Logan Lake’s VisionQuest works to save lives as overdose crisis deepens

Nov 26, 2020 | 5:23 PM

LOGAN LAKE, B.C. — Located just outside of Logan Lake, VisionQuest Recovery Society is trying to help stem the tide of the province’s ongoing overdose crisis, which has only worsened due to the pandemic.

The non-profit society is supported by BC Housing and the provincial government and is working to save lives. From the minute clients walk through the doors, staff are there to help. Clients are welcomed right away, regardless of their financial standing.

“If a client comes in without funding, we will find funding for them. We don’t want to leave anyone out in the cold,” said Operations Manager Roy McLaughlin.

Executive Director Megan Worley added, “The ultimate goal is to rebuild the clients’ lives. When they come in to us, they’re at their worst, they’re at their bottom. They’re on the street, they’re in jail, they’ve lost their family, they’ve lost their children or their brothers, sisters, friends.”

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VisionQuest receives $35-per-day-per-person from government to house up to 60 men on the 80-acre property, although only 45 men live there currently. The actual cost is around $55, but the society feels what it’s doing is extremely important, especially during the overdose crisis.

Kamloops recorded seven more overdose deaths in October for a record 50 deaths this year. Across the province, there have been 1,386 more illicit drug deaths in 2020 with 80 per cent dying being men — VisionQuest’s clientele.

“The reason we can do what we do is that we do receive grants from other provincial agencies like BC Housing,” said Worley. “BC Housing owns our property our expenses quite a bit. It does make it possible for us to work, but we’re doing it on a very, very slim budget.”

Most residents share a dorm room, have access to a gym, a workshop to bring out their creative side, as well as classrooms and rooms for Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Billy-Joe Dore has spent six months at VisionQuest. He says the facility has been life-saving for him after years of addiction and criminal activity.

Billy-Joe Dore was in and out of prison until landing at VisionQuest near Logan Lake (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

“I’ve had 30 years of addiction, so I was in and out of prison for multiple crimes,” he said. “The last time I got out, I was only out for 60 days, then I came in on some serious charges. I was just done. I didn’t want to carry on in that life.”

Billy-Joe, who’s from Fort St. John, was sent to VisionQuest. He’s working towards a social work degree, aiming to become an addictions counsellor and give back.

“I did a lot of things wrong in my life as an addict that I can’t personally make amends for,” said Dore. “So it’s like a lifetime amends.”

VisionQuest aims to expand its services to help more men like Billy-Joe. However, it says it comes down to dollars and cents, and a willingness from government to provide more funding.

“If we could put more residences here, if we could put up a building for detox, whatever we could get the funding for, we’d be open to do,” said McLaughlin. “We’re here to serve. Our mission statement is ‘A Life Worth Living.’ That’s what we want these clients to have.”