This program is the joining of the skills and attributes of Ross Residence and the Wood Buffalo Wellness Society, and is an arm of the Mark Amy Treatment centre. The staff of Sâkihitowin also work within the Mark Amy Program to provide continuity to clients transitioning from MATC into the Recovery Homes.  

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Spread across Fort McMurray, our homes are well appointed and include outdoor spaces with gardens and sitting areas. All are communal living homes where residents can expect to reside with anywhere between 3-7 other individuals, with a Senior Recovery Resident in each home. Clients transition through stages of increased independence and autonomy within the program. Homes are not 24-hour staffed but have 24-hour surveillance. Staff flow through all homes several times a day. Clients are held accountable for choices and behaviors through the use of peer support, house rules and regular intermittent drug and alcohol urinalysis testing. We welcome residents for up to two years and assist clients with securing housing and stable employment before transitioning back into independent living. 

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Ceremony and culture are cornerstones of the program and are held in high importance in individual recovery plans. With regularly scheduled sweat lodges, access to traditional medicines, smudging, arts and crafts and time on the land, we create and provide abundant opportunities for residents to reconnect in what we know, works. Mentorship and interaction with strong Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Aunties and Uncles from our communities is provided whenever possible. Residents are encouraged to learn Indigenous cultural ways and skills and are encouraged to assume roles of helpers with ceremony and Elders where possible. Mentorship from others living a path of recovery is embedded into daily interactions through peer support staff and volunteers. 

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The program is semi structured with a combination of required participation and exercising autonomy and independence. Residents are exposed to traditional recovery paths like mental health counselling and participation in peer support groups as well as provided opportunities for employment & training, education, volunteering, and leisure activities. 90% of the residents we work with are parents. In cases of family system disruption, we work with all parties to facilitate thoughtful family reunification plans. We work with many partner agencies to provide wraparound support with a multi-disciplinary approach to addiction and mental health recovery. 

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Click Here to Download our Sâkihitowin Referral Form: