A rehabilitation home for Prince Rupert was presented at the Dec. 4 city council meeting.
City planner Zeno Krekic presented his report on a proposed supportive housing unit for men rehabilitating after addiction treatment at 333 11th Avenue East.
“Just so we’re clear, this proposal is not a detox place. This is for folks who have either come out detox or some sort of program and need a place to recover and have a supportive place to do that … This is not for treatment,” Mayor Lee Brain said after the presentation.
Called 333 Trinity House, the proposed residence will be a men’s recovery house “to serve as an interim, safe and supportive home between rehab and mainstream society,” the application stated. The proposal states it will be smoke, alcohol and drug-free with 14 beds, five bathrooms and three common areas. There will also be storage, two laundry rooms, a kitchen and some parking.
Men from the North Coast and surrounding coastal villages can take part in a 12-part recovery program that encourages healthy living skills with an emphasis on sobriety and repairing relationships through peer support. A minimum stay would be 90 days with continual support. A full-time manager would also reside on-site.
READ MORE: After 40 years, Prince Rupert user goes clean
Krekic asked council to amend the property’s zoning bylaw, which is currently slated for single-family residential use. The report outlined in the agenda said the current zoning bylaw did not consider supportive housing when it was written, and the amended zone would redefine the provisions, creating a new zone called “special care residential.”
“There’s still a process for the community to be able to engage with this process. We’re looking at probably February for this finalization,” Brain said.
A community information meeting will be scheduled for January, followed by a second reading by council at the end of January or early February. A public hearing will then be held at the end of February or early March.
Council approved the first reading and will conduct a community information meeting, as well as internal and external referrals. The community information meeting will be advertised in the newspaper.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the community perceives this,” Brain said.
