Pathways announces fee-for-service model
After losing $500,000 in annual funding that allowed it to provide free addictions counselling services, a Penticton non-profit has reopened its doors with a fee-for-service model.
Pathways Addictions Resource Centre announced this week it will now offer a greater range of counselling services —for individuals, couples and families
— at a cost of $100 per hour. Group programs, online courses and other services are also available.
However, people who can’t afford help are still encouraged to call Pathways, which is collecting donations to cover its expenses in such cases.
“As a non-profit addictions counselling agency that has been serving the community for 46 years, we were thrown a curveball by the local health authority with a withdrawal of our funding and the possible disintegration of our team and the services provided,” said Pathways clinical supervisor Steve King in a video announcing the changes.
“However, shortly thereafter it became apparent that no one wished to sit back, retire or extinguish what had taken years to build — especially after we had received much support and encouragement to continue providing much-needed counselling services to the local community and beyond.”
King has been with Pathways since 1989 and is perhaps best known for his announcing work at local triathlons. He and the rest of the Pathways team have received an outpouring of community support since announcing this spring that Interior Health was cutting its funding effective May 31.
Interior Health has since taken counselling services inhouse, but the result has been unclear.
While the agency claims the 200 counselling clients on its roster at the end of July 2021 was equivalent to the number of people receiving services at the end of July 2020, Pathways told The Herald previously it had 500 active clients just prior to losing funding in May.
Besides offering expanded counselling services, Pathways is also seeking federal funding to launch a daytox program that would provide immediate help to people looking to beat their addictions.