Turning Point Recovery Society, Vancouver, BC


		FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

		Q Who is Turning Point? A Turning Point is BC’s leading residential support recovery service provider offering 31 beds for men and women in three facilities in Vancouver and Richmond. Q.What does Turning Point do? A. As a licensed, non-profit organization, our mission is to provide a supportive, abstinence-based environment where people may recover from the disease of addiction. Q. How long has Turning Point been operating? A. Turning Point has been providing support recovery services for over 25 years and has made a significant contribution to the health and well-being of the communities we serve. Q. Are Turning Point’s programs effective? A. Turning Point works. On average 75% of clients remain drug and alcohol free, one year after their residency. Turning Point has served more than 2,000 men and women with problematic substance use issues since 1982. Q. What is Turning Point’s recovery program? A. Turning Point’s recovery program is client-centered. Our approach is based on current Best Practices and incorporates principles based upon the 12-step and abstinent-based models of recovery. Our program is founded on the belief that every individual is, or can learn to be, responsible for his or her own life and decisions. We offer a structured and supportive environment to facilitate the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual development of the individual. Our residents participate in individual and group counselling, life-skills, stress management, conflict resolution and anger management sessions as well as health management and relapse prevention education. Q. Is Turning Point a mandatory program for individuals suffering from problematic substance use? A. No. Turning Point’s residents choose to participate in our program and must demonstrate a strong desire to overcome their addiction and live in an environment free from drugs and alcohol. Q. What are the consequences for drug and alcohol use on site? A. Turning Point has a zero tolerance policy for substance use at our support recovery residences. Q. Do you have good relationships with your neighbours at your existing locations? A. Turning Point is a good neighbour. Our successful 25-year track record in Vancouver and Richmond demonstrates that our operations are aligned with the values of the communities which we serve. Our Odlin Road facility in Richmond has operated for more than eight years without incident. Q. Will Turning Point’s expansion proposal impact the quality of life in the Ash street neighbourhood? A. No. Our experience at our existing residences, and those of similar organizations, is quite the opposite. Our good relations and good standing with our neighbours shows that Turning Point makes a valuable contribution to the communities we serve, and society as a whole. In Vancouver, a review of complaints filed with the City's Licenses and Inspection Department and the Vancouver Police Department demonstrated that concerns about personal safety, increased property crime or drug activity at the City’s addictions and mental health supported housing buildings have not been substantiated. Q. Has Turning Point ever attracted drug dealers into the neighbourhoods where it is located? A. No. Our residents are naturally protective of their desire to recover in surroundings free of drugs or alcohol. Therefore, there is simply no demand and no drug dealers. In fact, drug dealers are acutely aware that they are not welcome at our residences and others like them. Q. What are the benefits of your proposal? A. There is clear evidence to suggest that our proposal will improve health outcomes in the community by creating greater access to needed addictions services; reduce emergency room visits and hospital bed use; and decrease long-term health care costs by reducing the use of medical services, shelters, and other publicly funded services. Q. What exactly will you proposed residence look like? A. The proposed residences to be constructed on the Ash Street property will stay within the scale and design of the neighbourhood and will blend with existing homes while greatly improving the site’s current façade. Q. How much of your proposed housing will be devoted women? A. Women will receive preferential placement at our proposed expansion project. One of the two primary recovery residences will be devoted solely to serving women and two 2-bedroom suites in the transitional housing residence will be devoted to serving single mothers with young children, a population that has been underserved in the past. Q. Will there be staff on site during the evenings at your new site in Richmond? A. Yes. Turning Point is proposing to provide for 2 – 3 staff members to be on site during the over night period. Q. Do residents have a curfew? If so, how is this enforced? A. Turning Point does impose a curfew. Curfews are determined by the seniority of the resident. The latest curfew during the week is 11:00 pm and 1:00 am on weekends. Q. Are there restrictions on visitors? A. Yes. Residents may see visitors between the hours of 10:00 am and 10:00 pm, except when such visits would interrupt programming. Residents may not have visitors in their rooms. Q. Are the counsellors registered? What sort of training do you require for your staff? A. Turning Point’s employees are professionally trained addictions counsellors. All staff are required to have completed a minimum of two years of substance abuse counselling and education. Senior staff members are Canadian Addiction Counsellor (CAC) Certified. Turning Point was the first support recovery service provider in BC to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in 2001. Q. Are residents required to attend group therapy and individual therapy sessions other than 12-step meetings? A. Residents are required to attend group counselling on a daily basis and a minimum of one individual counselling session each week. Daily check-ins with counselling staff is encouraged. Residents have additional check-ins with assigned staff to review progress on homework assignments. Q. Does Turning Point connect with programs for employment retraining and skills development for residents? A. Turning Point uses several services in the community to assist our residents in job readiness and retraining. The Hope program and the THEO program of the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance are two of the most successful programs for our residents. Turning Point also provides a full continuum of life skills training. Q. Does Turning Point work with government agencies to ensure its services meet appropriate standards? A. Yes. Turning Point is certified under BC’s Community Care Adult Facilities Act and is subject to regular inspections. We meet, and are committed to exceed, the standards set out in our contract with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. We also work with Vancouver Coastal Health and other addictions service providers to improve the addictions continuum of care. Q. How is Turning Point funded? A. Turning Point receives funding from the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance, Vancouver Coastal Health, Richmond Health Services and the Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch. Additionally, we receive grants and actively pursue fundraising. Q. How are residents chosen for the transitional housing? A. Priority for placement in the transitional housing residence will be given to individuals who have completed a residential treatment and/or support recovery program, including women, single mothers with young children and Richmond residents who plan to go to school or work in Richmond. All residents would be required to be abstinent a minimum of 90-days prior to their residency in our transitional housing. Q. How long can residents live in the transitional housing? A. Residents may live in our transitional housing for up to 12 months. Tenancy will be reviewed every three months to ensure continued program compliance. Q. How does this transitional housing differ from other rental housing? A. The purpose of transitional housing is to provide individuals with additional supports while they further stabilize in their recovery and seek longer term housing. There will be a landlord / tenant agreement in place between Turning Point and our residents in the transitional housing units. The terms of the rental agreement will be much stricter and more defined than other rental housing. Q. Are residents still required to attend 12-step meetings and other therapy sessions while living in transitional housing? A. Residents are required to be actively participating in recovery services (for example, a 12-step program or addictions counselling) for the duration of their residency. TOP