ChristianWeek

REGINA, SK—The only addictions program in Canada where fathers can maintain custody of their children is growing rapidly and has been lauded by government officials for its effectiveness.

Souls Harbour Rescue Mission merged with Regina Rescue Mission near the end of 2006. Both charities house, clothe and feed the poor. In the past year, they have served 107,000 meals, given 27,000 nights of shelter, and taught 30,000 man-hours of class time in recovery programs.

Each year the rescue mission hosts a graduation ceremony for those who have finished the one year program, which emphasizes a relationship with Christ as a key component to recovery.

"If you'd have told me a year ago I'd be up here telling this story to 1,000 people, I'd have told you you were on drugs. If it had been about 15 months ago, you would have been on drugs, because I didn't know any other kind of people," says Debbie Smith, one of nine graduates of the LifeChange Program at the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Regina.

Three large donations over the span of four months allowed the merged mission to buy the building across the street, formerly Sacred Heart church and rectory. The facility is now used for chapel services and as a home for nine women including their children. The LifeChange campus, located in North Central Regina, is the Rescue Mission's third building. In December, donors helped the mission burn its $270,000 mortgage after just three years at the location.

"It's just rolling and taking its own steam," says Michelle Porter, who founded the rescue mission with her husband Ken. "It's like this snowball getting bigger and bigger and bigger as we head down the hill together. And so that's why we know this isn't our idea."

The acquisition of St. Joseph's allowed room in their previous facility to house 24 men in recovery. "What makes it unique is that we are the only place [in Canada] that offers a program at the same time a dad can have custody of his child," says Porter. "The first day I went into the men's family dining room, I just about cried. It was so special to see these dads with their kids, because generally when you're homeless, when you're out on the streets, you lose your kids."

Derrick Moore, a 49-year-old with a career in sales, is one man who won his battle with alcohol. "My life has been saved, literally," said Moore. "If it were not for the grace of God and Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, I would be dead in my addiction."

The graduation was also special to Moore. "It means that I have completed something," explains Moore. "A lot of times in addictions, we don't complete things. We don't follow through. That means a lot to me. It means that my family has a son back, a brother back, an uncle back."

"To get this kind of community support and this kind of financial backing, obviously there's good work being done," says Winnipeg singer/songwriter Steve Bell who performed at the celebration. "You could tell. You could feel it in the room."

Some MLAs in attendance were impressed with the transformation of the graduates and the candor with which they shared their stories. "Inspiring, heartfelt. I'm awestruck," said Sandra Morin of the NDP. "They've overcome tremendous hurdles to be up there."

Municipal, provincial and federal governments have become aware of the program's success. "They are scrambling to try to cut through the red tape and bureaucracy to give us more and more money," says Porter. "And they are as determined as we are to build this 30-suite apartment block to shelter people like the graduates tonight. That's the intention, so they have a clean, safe, affordable place to move into. We're so excited about it."

This fourth location would be north of the LifeChange Campus. "We hope to break ground in June," says Porter, sleepless from 12 months of hard work. "We're only a year behind schedule. That's okay, we've done enough this year."