Brentwood Recovery Home has achieved a significant milestone for its programming supporting individuals recovering from mental health and drug addiction issues. The Windsor addiction and mental health recovery facility, which operates on the front lines of the opioid crisis, has been awarded full accreditation from the Canadian Centre for Accreditation (CCA) following a comprehensive assessment of its programs and clinical practices.
The CCA's stamp of approval is a national standard for community-based health and social services organizations. It recognizes that Brentwood is able to meet the threshold of that standard of care, according to Sonja Grbevski, Brentwood's executive director.
“This accreditation is very critical for us because it really indicates that we are able to deliver the expected standard of care in the industry,” Grbevski said. “In addictions, trust is everything. Accreditation ensures that trust is earned through proven standards, compassion and care.”
History and Evolution of Brentwood Recovery Home
Co-founded by Rev. Paul Charbonneau and James and Kathleen Ryan, the recovery home opened in 1964 in a vacant restaurant at Wyandotte Street East and Chilver Road. At the time, it was known as Charity House. The recovery centre has since moved several times. It was renamed Brentwood in 1974, and it moved to its current home in the former Elmwood Casino on Dougall Avenue in 1983.
Today, the centre holds 48 beds for men and women who undertake a 90-day recovery program to help them work towards sobriety. The rigorous program requires individuals to remove themselves from their current environment but also work towards reintegrating into the community, Grbevski explained. “Ninety days feels like a long time, though 90 days actually just flies by,” she said.
Services and Challenges
Brentwood also offers children and youth services for parents and caregivers dealing with addiction issues. Alcohol abuse remains the number one reason individuals seek help, but the centre sees a wide range of people dealing with drug addictions. “We’re seeing a lot of opioid users,” Grbevski said. “It is very much in correspondence to what we’re seeing in our community, what we’re seeing downtown. We’re seeing a lot more individuals who are into crack cocaine, on fentanyl.”
“We’re seeing individuals across the spectrum in terms of drug use. Of course, we’re dealing with a lot of homelessness, working with our community partners to bridge that gap in terms of homelessness,” she added. Individuals who have completed the 90-day recovery program but lack a place to go afterward are given the option to stay for up to six more months in Brentwood’s transitional housing units.
