Discovery House adding carriage house to Edna Street property

From the Penticton Herald, Click Here to see the original article.

Discovery House Addiction Recovery Homes for Men will soon add three more beds to its inventory in Penticton.

Plans were revealed Friday for a carriage house at the property on Edna Avenue which will accommodate three men, bringing Discovery House’s total count to 25 clients.

“It will be a three-bedroom, independent living for men in their second stage of support who are ready to move into independent living,” executive director Jerome Abraham said.

Ground will break in the early spring and it should be operational by next summer. Schoenne Homes is the builder.

One-third of the funding will come from BC Housing and a $150,000 campaign, Shed a Light on Addiction, was launched earlier this week.

Significant donations have already come from Janet Parker — owner of Parker’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and vice-president of the board — of $50,000, with an additional $25,000 from the dealership. Other sizable contributions were made by Valley First Credit Union, Artisan Pools in Penticton and RPR Heating & Air Conditioning.

“We’re proud of the work Discovery House does for our community and we want to be with them as they grow,” Parker’s general manager Jim Tabler said.

“There’s a huge need in the community, a need for sober living and a need for a place for these men to stay that they can afford,” said Janet Parker.

She praises the staff of Discovery House as well as its volunteer board which also includes president Mike Pond, vice-president Maureen Gorman-Knowles, secretary Andrea Larsen, secretary-treasurer Kris Omland, Jimmy Slimz Hart and Michelle McLelland.

Shed a Light sells strings of bulbs for $250 and single bulbs for $25 which are put up at the Discovery House homes in the city in time for the holidays. (Tax receipts are provided for donations of $20 or more.)

A special light-up celebration will be held Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. at the home on Winnipeg Street.

Abraham said 80% of fatal overdose victims since 2016 are men and notes there’s a need for a similar facility for women. Down the road, Discovery House would like to partner with a group to help offer the same service for women.

There are several options for donating. E-transfers can be sent to: prrs@shaw.ca, you can mail Discovery House at 633 Winnipeg Street, Penticton, V2A 5N1 or phone 250-462-1388. The group’s Facebook page is “Discovery House Penticton.”