Looking to get into a residential addictions program in Windsor? You'll be waiting for months

The wait to get into a residential addictions program in Windsor right now is at least two months.

A residential addictions program involves someone living at a centre for weeks or months and taking part in programming to become sober. The person could be trying to quit drugs or alcohol.

SafePoint, Windsor's first drug consumption and treatment site, is focused on providing a safe space for people to use substances, while also offering treatment options if and when someone is ready.

But the city's only residential addictions programs have months-long waitlists. While there's typically a wait time for addiction services, it's something health officials say need to be addressed to better serve those looking to recover.

"We know the problem, we know the overdose stats, we can see those and they're horrifying and we've seen them across the country," said Andrea Steen, the vice-president of mental health and addictions at Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare.

"We just need to build capacity in that area and that's what the system is telling us we need."

And it's not only the system, but the people impacted by addiction who are asking to be prioritized.

Greg, who is in recovery from opioid use, told CBC News last week that these resources need to be more urgently available.

CBC News agreed to not use Greg's last name or face as he worried about getting future job opportunities.

"After five to 10 days of detox you're sent back out there, trying to stay sober or clean, which is impossible,"said Greg.

"By that three month mark, I'm back in my addiction. I forgot about that appointment, I don't care anymore ... you really can't change that, it's the drugs that take over."

And, according to a recent survey by the House of Sophrosyne, a residential addictions program for women in Windsor, 25 per cent of their clients were dissatisfied with the wait time for services.

Residential addictions programs aren't the only resource available though, there are community programs through the Canadian Mental Health Association, Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous, that people can take while they wait for further care.

'With this disease, the thinking can change'

Anyone who wants to start treatment has to first go through Hotel Dieu's Withdrawal Management program, which has 22 beds.

Typically, Steen said that people will spend about a week in withdrawal, but this could vary depending on their situation and whether they need more intensive care.

There isn't usually a wait to get into withdrawal management, Steen said.

Sometimes, people will stay longer at Hotel Dieu so that it aligns with the day they begin treatment.

Brentwood Recovery Home told CBC News that its wait list is currently 56 days, while the House of Sophrosyne said it's next available intake date is Sept. 11.

Ideally, no one would have to wait, as addiction experts point out that any sort of delay risks the person's life or could cause them to waiver on whether they want treatment.

"When clients are reaching out to us, they are in a state of readiness to change ... with this disease, the thinking can change," said Brentwood's executive director Elizabeth Dulmage.

"When we're not able to respond on a timely basis, the risk exists for that person to get caught back in to the spiral and the cycle of their addiction."

Dulmage said their wait times do fluctuate, with their highest being three months.

Brentwood said it would need more beds to reduce the wait list. The recovery home currently has 68 beds, with the capacity to increase to 120 beds. In order to do so, Dulmage said they'd need more funding.

She added that the organization recently received more funding from the government to operate more beds, but that that isn't permanent.

At this time, Dulmage said they don't have the ability to track whether people are dying while they wait for services.

But she said that when someone joins the list, they will help connect them to other community programs

Meanwhile, House of Sophrosyne has 24 beds and said it could use an additional 10 to help it deal with its wait list.

But for now, House of Sophrosyne's executive director Karen Waddell said itconnects people to community outreach programs that it has created.

"There is a lot of supplementary programs, but if an individual is assessed ... and they're identified as needing in-house treatment, then yes there's definitely a concern that they will have to wait to access the treatment,"said Waddell.

She said she's hopeful new provincial funding will be a huge benefit.

The province's recent budget announcement did allocate an additional $425 million dollars over the next three years to support mental health and addictions programming. In particular, the funding is to help people get supports closer to home.

This funding is on top of the nearly $4 billion the province is investing over the next decade in this area.