Hope is at the foundation of what we do: the belief that through hard work, dedication and compassion, tomorrow will be a better day. The Port Alberni Shelter Society is built on hope.
The Port Alberni Shelter Society was established in 1972. We provide emergency shelter, transitional housing and long-term affordable housing and other programs with support to empower individuals towards self-sufficiency and a sense of belonging within our community. With this mission and the hope that sustains us, the Port Alberni Shelter Society is ready to help more people take the next steps in their lives.
Therapeutic Recovery Communities (TRC) are proven approaches for recovery from addiction and trauma, and re-entry into the broader community. TRCs are a longer-term residential treatment option that helps individuals heal wholly and have success rates as high as 76 percent. The Port Alberni Shelter Society has the experience and capacity to initiate such a program, which is urgently needed as the province continues to struggle with an unprecedented crisis of addiction and related fatalities and social issues.
There is currently no TRC on Vancouver Island for women in need of support; this is an opportunity to initiate a program that meets this critical need in our community. The Port Alberni Shelter Society proposal is to create a female TRC to help this extremely vulnerable sector. The Alberni Valley itself is a unique setting for a TRC as it is isolated from larger urban centers but has a sizable population and services that can support social enterprises.
The proposed property in the Alberni Valley is an ideal location for a TRC:
- With existing infrastructure for an immediate start
- With a land-base to operate multiple social enterprises
- Removed from residential areas
Supporting the development of a Port Alberni TRC is an investment in hope for our community.
TRC’s are free to attend and over time they work towards financial self-sufficiency. It is the initial investment to purchase and operate that the Society looks to raise.
Your investment in this innovative social program helps individuals who want to re-enter communities and contribute in meaningful ways. Therapeutic Recovery Communities are a field in which new beginnings and better tomorrows grow.
The Port Alberni Shelter Society is passionate about this project and would love to tell you more about how your support can heal wounds that run deep throughout Vancouver Island. We are excited by what this opportunity represents for our families, neighbours, friends and other community members.
And we hope you are, too.
If you’d like to learn more or are interested in supporting the Port Alberni Shelter Society Please feel free to contact us at 250-723-6511 or email weshewitt@portalbernishelter.com and we would be very happy to talk with you.
Sincerely,
Wes Hewitt
Executive Director
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
– Michelle Obama
