Addiction Recovery Program

A stable, short-term place to live for individuals who are participating in a substance use recovery program.

About the program

The Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) provides stable, short-term housing to individuals participating in a substance use recovery program.

For 18 months, program coordinators help you set goals, build skills and feel supported while you stay in safe, affordable housing. If you have been free of drugs and alcohol for three months, you could be eligible to apply.

The Addiction Recovery Program is a partnership between BC Housing and two health authorities: Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health. As a partnership, BC Housing contributes housing stock and property management. Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health contribute health care program coordinators who support participants throughout their programs.

Am I Eligible?

You may be eligible for the Addiction Recovery Program if you can answer yes to all the following questions:

  1. Are you 19 years of age or older?
  2. Do you live in Vancouver or the Fraser Valley?
  3. If you live in the Fraser Valley, are you completing, or just finished, a support recovery or treatment program? This includes if you are still there, or finished a program in the last year.
  4. Have you abstained from using drugs and alcohol for a minimum of 90 days?
  5. Can you provide at least 2 letters of reference from a professional that confirms your commitment to recovery?
  6. Are you committed to working on a personal recovery plan?
  7. Are you willing to sign an Addiction Recovery Program Agreement?

To be eligible you may also be asked:

  1. Have you lived in British Columbia for one year or longer?
  2. Can you live independently with minimal support?
  3. Can you get an account in your own name with utility companies such as BC Hydro and FortisBC?
  4. Does your total household income add up to less than the Housing Income Limit?
  5. Do you and your family members own less than $100,000 in assets (for example, cash, real estate, stocks and bonds, mutual funds and business equity?
  6. Are you one of the following:
  • A family: you live with a spouse and/or one or more dependent children
  • A senior: you are a single person aged 55 or older, or a couple where you and/or your spouse are 55 years or older?
  • A person with a disability: you have a permanent disability or diminished ability and receive a recognized disability benefit?

Recovery Services

If you qualify, you could live in your own apartment for 18 months. During that time program coordinators will assist you with program support and recovery support.

Program support to:

  • Use the Housing Registry to compare places that meet your needs and your income level
  • Assist with all documentation required to complete the Addiction Recovery Program application
  • Get placed as a short-term program participant in a building managed by BC Housing
  • Review the Addiction Recovery Program Agreement
  • Suggest where to get furniture and household items
  • Introduce you to the building manager
  • Answer your questions about being a program participant
  • Answer your questions about building rules and regulations
  • Make the transition to long-term recovery and possible tenancy

Recovery support to:

  • Create and maintain a personal recovery plan
  • Offer regular meetings to support your ongoing abstinence from drugs and alcohol
  • Build job skills, including education training, volunteer work and employment counselling
  • Refer you to any physical and mental health resources or a case manager as needed

Application Process

The Addiction Recovery Program runs continuously and you can apply anytime. To apply, contact the health organization for your area.

In the Vancouver area, call 1-866-658-1221. The line connects you to staff at Vancouver Coastal Health’s Access Central service. You will be asked to attend a substance use housing services orientation session. Vancouver Coastal Health serves residents of Vancouver.

In the Fraser Valley area, contact staff at your recovery house or treatment centre, or your Fraser Health outpatient substance use counsellor. They will send a referral on your behalf to Addiction Recovery Program staff. An Addiction Recovery Program staff member will contact staff at your recovery house or treatment centre when they are ready to assess you. Fraser Health serves Burnaby, Surrey, White Rock, Coquitlam and most communities in the Fraser Valley as far east as Boston Bar and Hope.

After you apply

If there are no spaces available, staff at the health authorities will take your name and information and offer to put you on a wait list.

Call and check in with your caseworker monthly. This helps keep your case updated, so your caseworker can place you more easily.

If you are accepted into the program, an Addiction Recovery Program staff member will outline the program for you. The staff member will ask you to sign an Addiction Recovery Program Agreement.

The Agreement is a document that details the terms and conditions of your participation in the program. It is not part of the Residential Tenancy Act. It is exempt because the Addiction Recovery Program is a part of a rehabilitative or therapeutic treatment or service.

Some graduates of this 18-month program may move into a regular tenancy in one of our directly managed buildings.