Supportive housing gives people chance at fresh start: ex-addict
Kristin Mcelliglott’s challenges with addictions began shortly after her mom died.
By the time she was 19, she said, “everything spiralled downwards.”
She was hanging out with a different crowd and was introduced to harder drugs than she’d used before.
Her dad tried to force her to seek help by kicking her out.
“I was homeless and always trying to find a place to sleep so I didn’t have to sleep outside,” she said. “I had no home, I was broken, lost and my life was filled with darkness.”
For a couple of years, she spent time in and out of detox and treatment centres. Then, in December 2017, she heard about Oxford House.
Oxford House Society of Regina, through federal and provincial funding, provides supportive housing — including social and addictions supports — for 10 people recovering from alcohol and/or drug addiction who are moving toward full independence. Residents are required to sign an agreement intended to keep them accountable and help them work toward their goals.
On Friday, the opening of two Oxford House Society homes in Regina was announced, with the two levels of government contributing a combined $470,000 under the Canada-saskatchewan Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
The project — which involved the purchase and renovation of two existing Regina homes — also falls under the federal government’s new National Housing Strategy, a $40-billion plan intended to cut chronic homelessness in half over the next decade.
It’s already benefitted Mcelliglott, who was able to get into Oxford House in February 2018.
“Oxford House has changed my life ...,” she said. “With the help of Oxford House, I was able to become a productive member of society again. I am able to have a full-time job, great support from the ladies in the house, and to have the hope I was lacking before moving into Oxford.
“I was able to start fresh and build a foundation for myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my family and friends as well as Oxford House.”