Photo credit: Rising Above Ministry website

By Emily Keller

INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMITTEE

Official group home status granted for Rising Above Ministry house

Sep 17, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The Infrastructure and Protective Services Committee approved a Development Permit for a change of use this week.

Rising Above Ministry‘s request for official group home status in the Avondale area was carried, under certain conditions.

The land use bylaw states a group home to be for developmentally challenged persons or for foster children, while Rising Above’s is aimed at addiction and mental health recovery.

They have been operating in the city for 12 years with various homes in different communities and say this is the first time the city has approached them regarding a permit.

Mel Siggelkow, Executive Director of Rising Above, says he is pleased with the outcome of the deliberations.

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“I thought it was a very fair process and there’s some issues regarding the wording of the bylaw that needs to be addressed, but at the end of the day we felt the city was strongly supportive of the work that Rising Above is doing and has been all along in our 12 year history and we felt affirmation today.”

Rising Above must also meet and maintain licensing from the provincial government.

“Brand new legislation at the provincial level that is going to regulate, in this case addiction treatment facilities, that is coming into effect in November, and we are in the process of getting approval so we will fall under that category as well, and that’s a brand new thing for the province of Alberta that has been in other provinces.”

Those wishing to use this program can submit applications to move in and are then provided with life skills and help with obtaining and sustaining employment.

They live there for approximately six months but can come back and use their resources.

This group home houses only females and uses security cameras instead of live-in staff. They do operate a mens group home in their Park Campus facility, formerly the Young Offenders Centre.

Siggelkow says residents with substance abuse problems are expected to have taken part in a detox type of program beforehand as they do not provide detoxing.

“We require seven days clean so that they can be detoxed at a medical detox facility where there is that supervision, so they have to be seven days clean before they can come into our facility.”

Rising Above says all those residing in the group home are subject to random drug testing, curfews and are not permitted visitors, and that those who break the rules will be evicted. Residents may also accumulate ‘flags’ based on poor behaviour, which could lead to eviction as well.

Several neighbours to the group home say they worry that it will bring property values in the neighbourhood down and create an unsafe environment, due to residents of the group home not following the rules because of the lack of live-in supervision.

Siggelkow says a major reason for the lack of direct supervision is to create a comfortable environment for residents, and to allow for independence and autonomy.