Red Deer Dream Centre has become part of the provincial government's addiction recovery team.
Last week when the province announced it would be shutting down the overdose prevention site next spring in favour of other addiction services, it was also made known that the Christian-based facility for men recently received a government grant of $1.2 million over two years to support 20 more publicly funded addiction treatment beds in Red Deer.
The funding, which became available August 1, removes financial barriers for clients.
"It's encouraging to see the government wanting to partner with us because they like what we're doing," said Dream Centre board president Wes Giesbrecht.
Six years ago, when efforts to create the Dream Centre started, there were no local residential addiction treatment options in the city.
Led by a grassroots movement championed by a group of local businessmen, $1.4 million was raised to renovate the former Lotus nightclub site, and Dream Centre officially opened its doors in June 2023.
"I believe we're one of the first nonprofit organizations that went ahead and did it on our own, got it up and running, and didn't rely on government funding, and I think that speaks volumes to the government," Giesbrecht said.
Despite the new funding, the centre still has to fundraise $800,000 to cover the 25-bed facility's $1.4-million annual budget.
"It is a bit of a relief, however the job isn't done. We still are needing philanthropic donations. We still need available grants."
He said the plan is to expand the program and make it more impactful for clients which takes both time and money.
Currently, the centre has 16 clients, which is expected to increase to about 25 by the end of the year.
Giesbrecht said he admires the efforts of Dream Centre clients. Treatment is challenging, and they often need to repeat the process more than once.
"What they do is they negate the comforts of what they used to know, and step into the unknown of what life could look like, and the possibility of what living a life free of addictions could essentially yield. It's a huge step for these men."
