LOUD Recovery Volume 52

Clean-up New West is fast approaching and we invite all residents to come join us on Sunday, June 26 at Tipperary Park where community members will be turning up to beautify our city. Our sleeves will be rolled-up and ready for swift clean-up
action! Organizing this event is WHS' way of giving back to the community we work and live in. It will provide an opportunity for residents to come together and connect post-COVID. The event is free and complimentary lunch will be provided to all participants. There will also be prizes and live entertainment. Check out an article about Clean-up New West featured in the New West Record HERE. Sign-up to participate HERE. 

On June 8, Westminster House celebrated the grand opening of its Recovery Housing project with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Honourable Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addicitons, was at the ready with ceremonial scissors and with one single cut history was made. The new Recovery Housing will extend Westminster House's continuum of care by introducing 10 new transitional supportive recovery beds. It would not have been possible without the generous support of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, administered locally by Lu'ma Native BCH Housing Society, Reaching Home’s Community Entity for the Greater Vancouver area, in partnership with Vancity Community Foundation and endorsed by the Greater Vancouver Community Advisory Board. Contributions totalling $514,467 over two years were used to help the society purchase and renovate the unique 114 year old heritage property. Read the full press release HERE.

VANCOUVER - Portugal was in the throes of a drug crisis more than two decades ago when Dr. João Goulão was tasked with helping to do something about it. One of the central measures taken was to decriminalize certain amounts of hard drugs. At the time, the country had an estimated 100,000 heroin users, and HIV numbers were raging; today, Portugal has managed to cut the number of users down to 25,000. Now, decriminalization is coming to Canada, but Goulão cautions that it takes more than that to make an impact... READ MORE.

Events season is here and WHS is looking forward to a summer jam-packed with events, markets, and festivals. Come check out our Westie booth to learn more about our services, talk recovery, or support our 50/50 Raffle for Recovery. You will find us at the following events across the summer months. Hope to see you there! 

Canada Summer Jobs provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years. The program provides youth with opportunities to develop and improve their skills, responds to national and local priorities, and improves access to the labour market for youth, including those who face barriers to employment. This year Westminster House was able to hire on two of its alumnae as full-time Development Assistants through CSJ. Please join us in welcoming Louise and Taliah to the WHS Development Team! This is a win-win opportunity, with the girls getting to dip their feet in the workforce, and the WHS Development Team receiving much-needed support for its busy events season. If you'd like to meet them, visit them at any of the events on our calendar.

June is Pride month, a time when we celebrate the diversity of LGBTQ2S+ communities while acknowledging their history, the hardships they have endured, and the progress that has been made. This year Westminster House is thrilled to be sponsoring some fabulous CLEAN SOBER & PROUD! events, including Vancouver Pride's Sober Lounge on July 31 and New West Pride's very own Untoxicated event on August 13. Join us and help share the message that we do recover - as we connect over music, dance, and unapologetic self-expression. Get your tickets HERE before they're gone!

Westminster House would like to express its gratitude to Hockey Helps the Homeless for its continued interest and support. On May 24 it was presented with a donation of $75,000 by HHTH representative Linda Lane. The funds will be used to support our youth program, impacting change in the lives of our most vulnerable clients. Without the generous support of foundations like these, WHS would not be able to carry on with its critical work of helping youth girls reclaim a drug-free existence and recover. Thank you Hockey Helps the Homeless! If you wish to DONATE to any of our programs, you can do so by clicking on the button below.

The Employee of the Month is recognition to the employee who goes above and beyond the call of duty. This month we would like to recognize Isabelle G. Isabelle is one of our newer client care workers, but she's proving to be a real quick learner. Most of all, her willingness to step up during our times of need - whether it be filling a shift, working overtime or outside of her usual scope - is much appreciated. She's developed a great rapport with the clients, and we are extremely happy to have her. So thanks for all your hard work Isabelle - from all of us at Westminster House!

WHS commends all the women who celebrated clean time for the month of May. We thoroughly enjoy watching our alumnae take their clean time. It's inspiring to see so many of them living their best life today. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

The nicer weather is upon us and WHS clients have begun going to Last Door's Keystone Retreat again. Westminster House has always treasured this little piece of paradise located in the beautiful backwoods of Mission, BC. Weekly excursions to Keystone usually begin in May, and 6 to 10 clients will continue to visit the retreat weekly until mid-September. Westminster House is even invited to participate in the farm to table program there, having its very own piece of land that its women and youth girl clients use to plant different vegetables and herbs. Mornings are often spent tending to the gardens, while afternoons could be filled with any number of things - from swimming to playing pool, step work, exploring the property, or feeding the resident llamas. Thank you Last Door for allowing us to be a part of this very special place.