U of C study touts sobering centres

Seen as effective alternative to jail

The University of Calgary’s school of public policy released a report Thursday promoting the effectiveness of a “person- centred” approach to treating public intoxication as an alternative to treating it as a crime.

The report reveals the findings of a case study that looked at a Calgary sobering centre provided by Alpha House, a non- profit charity that caters to people affected by alcohol and other drug dependencies.

Alina Turner, author of the study, said Alpha House and similar centres offer people “a safe space” to sober up, rather than police charging them with a criminal offence and putting them in detox.

The study looked at Alpha House’s intake between 2013 and 2014. It found people who used its sobering centre services spent 93 per cent fewer days in jail on average the following year. Clients also experienced about a 71 per cent decrease in their total interactions with police and a 62.6 per cent decrease in the number of times they were hospitalized. Use of emergency medical services declined by 50 per cent.

Alpha House offers programs and supports such as a shelter, detox and housing. according to executive director Kathy Christiansen.

“We focus on the vulnerability that intoxication places on individuals,” said Christiansen. “The focus of the work in the shelter really is on stabilizing people’s intoxication levels.”

With events such as the Calgary Stampede approaching, she said Alpha House expects to see a higher volume of intake as police recognize its services as a productive alternative.

Turner said there would be fewer intoxication- related issues in society “if there was a commitment in policy to recognize the value of this service” and better funding. She cautioned it’s just one of many approaches to dealing with a complicated issue, but one that is effective, according to this study.

“Ultimately it proves that sobering centres can be very important parts of a community, health and addiction response network and that can alleviate pressures on public systems as well,” Turner said.

“Rather than moving forward with a criminalization response, there’s alternatives that we can pursue that make more sense from an individual and community perspective and a cost- savings perspectives as well.”