A treatment centre has been proposed by the Tournament Capital Ranch in Rayleigh (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

TREATMENT CENTRE

Treatment centre proposed in Rayleigh, CMHA feels more housing needed

Oct 21, 2021 | 3:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — Tuhani George has been living on the streets for three years. He says an addiction to heroin destroyed his life — his marriage and relationship with his four kids.

“I hit rock bottom. We had everything. We had a company. I was set, then hit depression, [was] suicidal, 1 South,” he said.

However, George is ready to get help and turn his life around. Reid Hamer-Jackson, owner of TRU Market in Kamloops, is trying to help get him and many others off the streets.

Hamer-Jackson is hoping for a treatment centre similar to VisionQuest near Logan Lake.

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“We’ve went from harm reduction to harm production is what I feel,” said Hamer-Jackson. “I don’t see it working. I see record overdoses. Where I am, I see 450 emergency calls across the street [at Rosethorn House on West Victoria Street]. I just think we’ve got to do something different. We’ve got to try and look at different visions.”

For the last year, Hamer-Jackson has been facilitating tours at VisionQuest, a residential treatment facility on 20 acres of land where the clients also help around the property. He says with similar acreage at the Tournament Capital Ranch, there’s the potential to do the same thing there.

George says he would happily attend a treatment facility like that.

“It would be awesome. It would be good for everybody. Just being out there. Here, it’s so easy to get anything — drugs or whatever. Out there, it’d be awesome,” he said.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) says such a treatment facility is a great idea, but recovery is more complex than simply building a treatment centre. “I think the gap we have in recovery-based housing is folks don’t have the alternative after that. Once you’re done treatment or you’re done recovery housing, what next?” said executive director of CMHA Kamloops.

Achoba says places like Rosethorn House provide all that a treatment centre would offer with recovery services available, while providing stable housing. He says Kamloops is short on all types of housing.

“We need more supportive housing, we need more recovery housing, we need more second-stage housing, we need more marketing housing. We need to be able to give people a choice of the type of housing they can thrive in,” said Achoba.

As for the treatment centre by the Tournament Capital Ranch, mayor Ken Christian says the city has never been asked about such a centre. The idea has only come from Hamer-Jackson.