The executive director of House of Sophrosyne in Windsor is hopeful the province will soon approve additional residential beds to help reduce the waitlist for treatment services for women.
Karen Waddell says they are currently running a three-month waitlist, but when people need addiction treatment services, they need it now, not three months from now.
The House of Sophrosyne, located in the former St. Alexander Elementary School at 5305 Adstoll Ave., currently offers 24 beds in a residential treatment setting along with community programs.
The number of beds could expand to 34 as officials are waiting for final provincial approval on two applications-one to further renovate and expand the facility and the other as a partner in Windsor's application for a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub, or HART hub, to address homelessness and addiction issues.
"In the new facility, we will be able to bring moms in with their small children. When mom is in group, we will have child-minding services for the children," she says. "It really reduces another barrier that women face. A lot of women don't access the treatment and the help that they need because they don't have somebody to leave their children with."
Waddell says it's a win-win if they can provide more beds because a lot of women are fearful of admitting they have addiction issues, which includes fear of losing their children.
"By reducing the wait times, they can get into treatment, they can get the services that they need, and they can start on that road to recovery without being in their addiction longer," she says.
On Monday, officials unveiled the new sign for the Lisa Tayfour Building for Recovery at House of Sophrosyne following a donation announced in 2018 by Lisa Tayfour to help with renovations at the facility.