April 4th, 2024
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Glen 201/204 – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary
About this session
Honourable Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services hosts a panel discussing Recovery Oriented Housing with Enyinnah Okere, Chief Operations Officer (COO) in the Office of the Chief, Edmonton Police, Earl Thiessen, Oxford House, and Dr. Julian Somers.
Dr. Julian Somers – Connecting Personal With Collective Recovery Capital
The process of recovery has been well articulated at the individual level. Very useful scientific insights include the articulation of common facets of recovery among people (e.g., “CHIME”: connection, hope, health identity, meaning in life, empowerment) and refinements in the understanding of recovery capital (evolving from a focus on symptoms to a focus on citizenship.
Relatively little attention has been paid to how individual-level processes may be usefully applied among groups of people, including society at large. The current talk will summarize current evidence regarding how individuals avoid or overcome harmful addictions, and offer ways in which these findings might be usefully applied toward policies that benefit groups. Specific examples will be drawn from diagnostic criteria (e.g., loss of control), clinical observations (e.g., hitting “rock bottom”), 12-Step traditions (“Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired”), and scientific results involving addiction prevention and recovery. Individual-level phenomena will discussed with the goal of improving the implementation of Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care and providing expanded opportunities for people to enhance the congruence between actions that improve personal recovery and those that maximize benefits to others who are at risk.
Enyinnah Okere
Representing the Edmonton Police Service Enyinnah oversees the leadership, vision, and strategic direction of the Corporate Communications Division, the Value and Impact Division, and the Legal and Regulatory Services Division, and his area includes functions that aim to bolster public relations, uphold organizational transparency, maintain accountability and professionalism, and ensure the Service continues to progress toward its vision as a forward-thinking police service that strengthens public trust through addressing crime, harm, and disorder.
Enyinnah will be sharing insight on the Navigation and Support Centre which was stood up by several partnering organizations this past January to enhance public safety and help those removed from encampments in Edmonton to find safe shelter and access supports. Staff at the centre provide Indigenous cultural supports and liaisons, and connect people to shelter, housing, and financial services as well as help individuals obtain valid Alberta identification.
Additionally, Radius Health, along with Alberta Health Services, is on-site to provide a variety of health and recovery-oriented services to those who need them, including the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program that provides immediate, same-day access to life-saving addiction treatment medication for people in addiction.
To date, more than 550 unique visitors have accessed the navigation and support centre and more than 2,000 referrals and direct connections have been made to various services including over 90 people who have been connected to mental health and addiction services and 26 people who have started opioid agonist therapy (OAT).
Earl Thiessen
Earl Thiessen will present on Peer Supported Housing —- Oxford House is the most diverse and progressive peer-supported recovery housing organization in the Country. Multi-Model Peer Supported Recovery Housing with no end date, Canadas Only Licensed Pre-treatment Housing Program as well as Pee/Culturally Supported Indigenous Recovery Housing. Oxford House Foundation is a for-impact organization. We impact the lives of sons, daughters, moms, dads, brothers and sisters.
Learning Objectives
1. Identify results of evidence demonstrating effective ways to prevent harmful addictions and promote recovery.
2. Identify current policies and their relationship to knowledge about individual-level addiction prevention and recovery.
3. Identify ways to enhance the congruence between evidence-based actions that benefit individuals and the potential application fo these principles to improve societal levels of harmful addictions
4. The power of peer support
5. Pre-treatment Housing Concept.
