Twelve months after adding a transitional housing program to its facility, Glencairn Hope Acres Rehabilitation Centre, Glencairn, Ont., has been continually seeing transformation in men's lives. The Salvation Army centre has long run an addiction and rehabilitation treatment centre, but now men can opt to continue their stay on the 100-acre property.

“The men spend six months at our treatment centre, after which time some clients go home to their families or go to work. However, sometimes people in addictions need longer term care and so we saw a need for a transition program,” says Auxiliary-Captain Rob Hardy, director.

“We had a 120-year-old farm house on our property that wasn't being utilized and when the community supported our transitional program idea, we knew the existing farm house was a perfect fit for the project.”

The house opened its doors to men in transition in October 2010. It is a self-contained unit, equipped with five bedrooms, three washrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry and computer for e-mails and resume writing.

During their year—or less, if desired—at the “farm house,” men attend counselling once a week to talk about goals, run an A.A. meeting for men at the nearby treatment centre and do 12 hours of volunteer work per week.

“The A.A. meetings are an excellent way for the men in transitional housing to give back to the men in programming,” says Aux-Captain Hardy. “We also want to build community and so one of our summer projects involved cutting grass at the local cemetery.

“For the people that want a longer term place to stay, this is ideal. Of the four men that have gone through the transitional housing, all chose to continue to be a part of the community at Hope Acres and live 20 to 30 minutes away.”

One man, who has been clean for two years, has not only paid off his debts and purchased a car, but is also the centre's weekend cook and shares a house with another man who has also gone through the transitional housing program.

“We also had one client who came to us from jail and after completing his transitional housing, found a place to live in the nearby area and now works part-time in our wood shop,” says Aux-Captain Hardy. “We have seen many positive results this past year.”