News & Events

Strength and Resilience in Crescent Heights

Shaundra Bruvall | April 29, 2021

‘I’m a strong lady; that sticks in my head,’ says Gail as she shares her story and what life is like at Providence House in Crescent Heights. She’s not quite 60, although you wouldn’t know it. She goes walking with friends as often as she can and takes pride in keeping her apartment clean and tidy. She’s dressed nicely for our conversation, with sparkly purple nail polish, a black top, and matching jewelry. She speaks about her life growing up, her kids, her husband, her experiences being homeless and her time now at Providence House, where Alpha House provides 24/7 wrap-around supports. Resilient and wise, she’s shy at first but quickly opens up and is happy to share her story and her years of wisdom.

The youngest of seven girls, she has six brothers as well and speaks fondly of her parents. Growing up in Cardston, Alberta she thanks her parents for being strict as she was growing up. She first met her future husband Francis in Siksika. She describes him as the classic tall, dark, and handsome. Her parents were smitten as well and urged Gail to marry him. They spent 32 years together living on the Siksika Reserve east of Calgary. ‘My husband taught me a lot and I am thankful my dad accepted him.’ ‘I lived a happy life’. Francis worked in agriculture, and Gail worked as a cleaner for a while but dedicated most of her time to raising their children.

‘I did a lot of cooking. I’d make bannock and have a family recipe.’ She says she even made bannock tacos two weeks ago. An avid gardener as well, her favourite plant to grow was always rhubarb because of the jam she’d make afterwards.

A mother of three, her son turned 31 in March but she still fondly calls him her baby boy. Her daughter is older and she speaks about how proud she is for how well her daughter is doing. Her oldest son Matthew, sadly has passed away.

When her husband died, he left everything including the house to her. Two weeks after he passed her in-laws showed up and ‘things got out of hand. I ended up in hospital…. after I was released I didn’t know where to go or what to do’. Gail ended up on the streets.

Living on the streets, she met another man. They were together 4 years and the way he treated her was the opposite of what things were like with her husband. ‘I was on the street for those 4 years. I can tolerate so much; I got tired. I started getting sick. I ended up in hospital’. It was in hospital that she was connected with the YWCA; the original service providers of Providence House, an affordable housing building owned by charitable real estate developer, HomeSpace. Alpha House took over service provision for the building in October 2020.

‘I don’t have to go wandering off living here’ she says, ‘I don’t take my apartment for granted.’ She speaks warmly of the staff, ‘Alpha treat me well, I call them family, and I get along with the women here. We talk to each other, this is why I like this place.’

With COVID-19 the common areas for the building are closed off, but Gail has still been able to see her children outside. Her daughter was able to come by and drop off Christmas dinner. ‘COVID is hard for everybody,’ she says. She often visits with family and friends in the community, going for walks and staying as active as possible.

————————————–

Calgary Alpha House Society was established in 1981 as a committed response to a marginalized population of men and women who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and living vulnerable on the streets of Calgary.


Across the Prairies – From Assiniboine to Calgary

Shaundra Bruvall | April 14, 2021

Leonard has been a resident of The Clayton on Bowness Road for almost a year now. Originally from a Hutterite colony in Southern Saskatchewan, he lived in a variety of towns and cities across the prairies before a series of difficult circumstances led him to homelessness in Calgary, AB. He lived on the streets of Calgary for 9 years. Winters were spent in shelters and in the summer he would camp with his friends in Marlborough Park. Last year, a bout of pneumonia left him hospitalised. However, in a positive turn of events, the hospital helped him get in touch with Alpha House who worked with Leonard to find a home that suited him best. ‘When I saw the room (at the Clayton) I asked if I could move in right away, and they said okay. So I moved in that day’.

Hailing from a Hutterite colony near Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Leonard left at 18 to find work outside the colony. He has thought about going back over the years but he describes colony life as being dictated by rules and he had a dream of seeing the world. When he first left the colony, CBC news did a televised interview with him. He spoke then of his ambitions to find work and of struggles with loneliness and learning what felt, at times like a different culture. When he did find work in construction his boss speaks highly of Leonard, saying he’s keen and happy to work. This was in Swift Current. However after asking his neighbour to turn down a stereo early in the morning, he was confronted in his apartment by that same neighbour armed with a bat and crowbar. He decided to leave town after this and was forced to quit his job.

He relocated to Saskatoon where he got a job working at a carpet store. His older brother who had also left the colony was living there. He was a successful writer and publisher, releasing books on Hutterite food and culture including The Hutterite Treasury of Recipes. His brother would often test out the recipes and ask Leonard to try them. He recounts one time when they were eating sauerkraut for six months because his brother had made so much!

Eventually, Saskatoon didn’t work out either. He describes ending up in a bad way, mostly due to a dealer ‘who was available all the time. You’d call him up anytime and he’d be there in 30 minutes. He’d float you $200 worth of drugs. So I paid him off and left town to start over’.

He travelled then to Winnipeg where he built on his experience working at a carpet store to become the manager of a carpet warehouse. In Winnipeg he had a daughter, who is 13 now. ‘She’s home schooled right now because of COVID.’ They speak over Facebook when they can.

After getting back in touch with his first girlfriend, he relocated from Winnipeg to Calgary. He found a basement suit in Calgary but then ended up without a home after his relationship didn’t work out. Him and some friends would camp out in and around Marlborough Park. ‘We’d lean boards against a wall and stick a tarp over’. In the winters when it got cold he’d go to various shelters. But he expressed some hesitancy about using them. ‘I’m not a big guy. The walk to the shelter can be scary’. He mentions staying at the shelter Alpha House runs downtown and that he appreciated their harm reduction approach.

A year after he ended up on the streets, his brother passed away. Leonard speaks fondly of his brother but says ‘his death hit me really hard. My dad passed away around then too.’ It was 2011 that he ended up on the streets, but his main point from the year is that the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. His favourite hockey player is Patrice Bergeron; their captain. He watches Boston play whenever he gets the chance.

When he talks about growing up on the colony, he mentions the stigma he felt when he’d travel into town. He speaks about running into gangs of teenage boys when he’d visit the mall in Moosejaw. He was afraid to tell people he was a Hutterite for a long time after that. But over the last 15 years he says ‘I’m not afraid to tell people anymore. I’m just a human.’ He has 8 brothers and 4 sisters, most of whom live on colonies. He’s been back to visit but because of religious custom he can never move back permanently.

He likes his room at the Clayton, and even has a pet fish named Leonard Jr. He’s been able to access a pharmacy for smoking cessation aids, which he gets every month. He’s got a TV set as well where he can watch his favourite show Big Brother. ‘I applied for this season but didn’t get accepted’ he relates. Leonard also loves watching Survivor and Britain’s Got Talent. His favourite song is You are the Reason by Britain’s Got Talent Star Calum Scott.

The Clayton is run by Calgary Alpha House Society and was built by HomeSpace in 2019; a 30-unit permanent-supportive housing program with 24/7 wrap-around supports. The building is one of a handful of affordable housing options in Calgary designed for people who have experienced chronic homelessness.


How an Unhoused Veteran Found His Home

Shaundra Bruvall | April 7, 2021

Frank is a resident of Madison Place. An apartment building managed by Alpha House Society for previously unhoused Veterans of the Armed Forces, Air Force, Police and Fire Departments. Clients at Madison Place work with on-site staff to manage past or current addictions, improve their health, and engage with the community. Frank is one of the longest residents of Madison Place, which has been operating in Calgary’s Beltline since 2012. His cat, Buddha, lives with him and his wife, Amanda, lives only a few blocks away. Buddha spends most of our interview sleeping; at 21 years old he is well looked after and spends most of his time dozing in the sun next to Frank.

Originally from Eastport, Newfoundland, Frank was born the middle child in a family of 12.  His mother ‘never stopped,’ he says, and passed away only a few years ago at the age of 92. His father worked cutting railroad ties in Nerranova, ‘Back in Newfoundland, we were poor people,’ he says. ‘So I joined to help my family out’.

When Frank enlisted, it was ‘August 1966, I still remember it was August’. He was stationed first out of Murphy Barracks in Ontario and was a paratrooper – ‘a jumper,’ he says. And then a sniper. Smiling, he quips that when he first joined his Newfie accent was too thick for his sergeant to understand. ‘I used to get away with murder’ because of it, he says. ‘I loved being in the Army’.

Frank travelled to Greece, Cyprus, Germany and many other countries before eventually being stationed in Currie Barracks in Calgary. When he left the Army in 1983, he decided to settle in Calgary, because he liked the look of the place and made it home.

He left the army because of drinking, he says ‘Drinks were free on the barracks and you get bored. They sent me for treatment for it once. Any part of the Forces there is a lot of drinking.’ After leaving the army, Frank started working as a painter, which he did until he was 64, only retiring because of health concerns with his leg.

Frank eventually ended up living on the street with his wife Amanda. He was living under the bridge near the Elbow River Casino, but he doesn’t speak ill of those experiences. ‘I don’t like being confined’ he says ‘I like being outside, all times of year. It’s cold by the river but I enjoyed it. I’d go into the casino to shave, it’s open 24 hours a day. Cops would visit, bring coffee and sandwiches. When they found out I was a veteran though they got mad.’ Over Christmas, he and Amanda had been gifted a hotel room for a week when the two cops he had become familiar with helped get a place to live with Alpha House.

He didn’t want to move without his wife though, so Alpha House helped get her a place at a housing program with the YWCA a few blocks away. Because of house rules around the COVID-19 pandemic, Amanda can’t visit Frank. But he’s able to go over to her place two days a week and they meet up outside. He has two daughters and a son back in Newfoundland. He speaks to them on the phone often and last saw them two years ago at his brother’s funeral. The Veterans Association and Alpha House helped him with his flights, and looked after Buddha while he was away.

‘The staff here are excellent’ Frank says. Because of health concerns with his leg he’s in a mobility scooter but staff here have worked with the Veteran’s Association to make sure Frank is well looked after and his scooter is in good working order. Before Christmas, he spent 28 days in hospital but Frank is tough and describes his health issues as more of an inconvenience than a concern.

Frank is active in the community. Outside the building next to the Canadian flag there’s a dog bowl that is kept filled so locals walking their dogs can take a break. In the summer time, Alpha House Staff at Madison Place host frequent BBQs with clients and the community. Frank says he spends a lot of time outside talking to people experiencing homelessness and doing what he can to help whether it be listening to their stories or giving them a meal. He frequents the Kirby Centre and the Legion, which in non-COVID-19 times provides low cost and free programing to seniors. Frank loves living in the Beltline in the summertime because of all the events happening from the public pianos to concerts in Olympic Plaza.

He’s due to get his vaccine before too long and is looking forward to when life starts getting back to normal. He misses being able to have his wife over and to visit with his friends still living on the streets. He’s getting sick of TV but enjoys a few shows like Schitt’s Creek. He describes the community in the building as being very supportive and all great guys. ‘Life is what you make it. I enjoy every day I’m alive,’ says Frank.

 

————————————————————–

For more information please contact:

Shaundra Bruvall

Communications and Fundraising Coordinator

[email protected]

403-237-8341

 

Or

 

Allison Leonhardt

Community Engagement Coordinator

[email protected]

587-832-2839

 

 

Calgary Alpha House Society was established in 1981 as a committed response to a marginalized population of men and women who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and living vulnerable on the streets of Calgary.


Mobilizing Technology to Resolve Complex Social Issues

Shaundra Bruvall | March 24, 2021

HelpSeeker is a registered B-Corp Social Enterprise with a mission to scale systems change to resolve complex social issues. One of their most celebrated new creations The HelpSeeker app is a free network of location-based services, resources, and support you need to help your clients and the community. We had the opportunity to sit down with some of HelpSeeker’s team members to get the scoop on how things are going and what they hope their new initiatives will accomplish.

 

Who is Helpseeker for?

The HelpSeeker navigation tool can be used by anyone who might need to find help, whether for themselves, or on behalf of someone else.  Because HelpSeeker is used by thousands of people seeking help, it is also a great marketing tool for service providers, as it helps to get their information out to more people.

HelpSeeker also offers other digital tools that provide valuable insights for people in decision making roles, who want to understand the needs of their residents better, so that they can make more informed decisions that will lead to better outcomes.

 

Are you marketing the app to the general public?

Yes!  We have two apps: the HelpSeeker app and the Wellbeing Screener, which are free for anyone to use, anywhere across Canada.

HelpSeeker is a navigation tool, where people can search anonymously for supports in their community that can help them address their needs, including help services, helplines, benefits, and social programs available in a community.

HelpSeeker is great for frontline workers and people who have a good sense of what they need help with.  But sometimes it isn’t always clear to someone that the problem is: they may know they aren’t feeling their best, but can’t quite pinpoint what they need help with.  In instances like that, the Wellbeing Screener is a quick way to assess any urgent needs, and start the process of understanding what resources are available nearby, and connect to them directly, or share with a friend or family.

The HelpSeeker App allows you to privately browse thousands of community, provincial and federal health and social services, programs, resources, helplines and benefits for mental health, counselling, parenting, education and training, addictions, domestic violence, affordable housing, shelters, food support services, recreation, and more.

 

There are a lot of social service organizations in Alberta. How has the app changed navigation of those services for people who need them?

The most common cited concern we hear is that people just don’t know where to go for help. Which is too bad, because there are thousands of support services available across Alberta ready and willing to help.

HelpSeeker was created by people with lived experience in social issues, who also worked as frontline workers.  They knew firsthand that trying to find help, whether for yourself or for someone else, is a complicated and overwhelming process.  Their goal in developing HelpSeeker was to simplify the process, so that people could get access to help more quickly.

We appreciate that often people seeking help are those in very vulnerable situations, and we designed HelpSeeker using that lens.  The app is completely anonymous to use, and is free to download.  It can be used on any Smartphone (Apple or Android device) or can be searched using any desktop with internet access, in 23 different languages. 

Navigators can select from over 80 different search tags to search for issues particular to their needs, or they can use our smart search bar, which recognizes informal terms that might be used (ie. if someone types in “I’m hungry”, the smart search would know to find services that offer food).  Based on the search results, navigators can click on the listing to see a short and helpful description about the organization and their services/programs, contact information, hours of operation, whether the person fits the eligibility criteria, whether or not the service or building is wheelchair accessible, and in certain cases, whether the organization has enough the ability to help them right away. From there, they can either call or email the organization directly.

There is also a map that the navigator can see where the organization is located, as well as a directions button that connects to Google maps, so that people can plan their route to get there.

 

What’s the current scope of the app in terms of locations where it is available?

We are currently available in more than 200 Canadian communities, but thanks to a recent investment from CMHC, we will be in every Canadian community within the next 3 years.

 

What are some of the trends you have been able to see through the app’s data and are you / how are you / using that to improve its efficacy?

Having the ability to compare what supports people are searching for with where supports are located is really useful, as it provides a starting point for identifying where possible gaps and/or duplications exist.  The data can also be used to help improve program design, and to help communities develop responses to rapidly changing needs, like what we experienced with COVID.

We’re always taking feedback from service providers and people using the app on ways to improve the user experience. Look for new improvements later this year!

 

COVID Social Issues Infographic – 69,000 hits in Alberta & what people are looking for help on (CNW Group/HelpSeeker Inc)

Have social service organizations been open to the idea of the app?

Yes!  The response from social service organizations has been tremendous, especially as they appreciate the important role they play in the overall systems transformation process, and discover how the app can really help their staff and frontline workers spend more time working one-on-one with their clients, instead of spending time in front of a computer navigating services. Organizational leaders like that they can use the service provider dashboard to get a snapshot of their organization’s overall program capacity, which can help guide decisions for future programming and funding allocations. They also like that people who have used their services can send private feedback directly to their organization, so that they can assess how to improve their service delivery.

 

 What is the biggest roadblock you have faced with the app’s implementation or progress?

Our most exciting challenge is getting the app into the hands of people who need it. We’re continually brainstorming new strategies to do this!  And we are always on the lookout for people that can help us raise awareness in their community.

 

What’s your favourite feature of the app?

It’s hard to narrow it down to just one favourite feature!  I would say that my favourite feature is our smart search bar, which has the ability to recognize everyday, common terms, like “I’m hungry” or “need clothes”, and will show results accordingly.  It’s very cool!  We’re always adding new features, so  stay tuned for more!

 

You can download the HelpSeeker App and the Wellbeing Screener for free wherever you get your apps!


Service at Alpha House

Shaundra Bruvall | December 4, 2020

We Seek to Provide Hope through Direct Service and the Promotion of Well Being

Many years ago early in my career at Alpha House I was offered the task of facilitating a value clarification exercise with staff. For a day we processed together to produce a document of our beliefs statements and working values. At the time we were faced with the possibility of government funding cuts as Calgary entered an energy/oil/gas industry bust and province wide austerity measures. The possibility of losing our shelter was on the table. Our effort to express our values and beliefs given these real stressors helped us to stay focused on what was important to our ongoing work…the client comes first.

Together we generated a summary belief statement for our client centered work…’we provide hope through direct service and the promotion of well-being‘.

It was a great message for ourselves to own and to share with the community. We made it clear to all, funders included that for Alpha House the client was our number one concern and so should it also be theirs. We expressed strongly that our programs at the time shelter and detox were essential to meeting the needs of those marginalized by addiction, mental health, and chronic homelessness. We didn’t underestimate then (nor do we now) of how the articulation of our values and beliefs propelled us to move forward.

From that experience of staff solidarity, I came to know that the heart of Alpha House is its shelter; it is the heart of all our programs as we strive to meet our mandate of providing safe and caring environments for men and women with alcohol and other drug dependencies, across a continuum of care. I don’t say this to disparage our detox, outreach and housing programs. Far from it, it is just that there no mistake that for most of us as new hires, we are trained and work first in the shelter. Shelter is where our staff find their inspiration and where our agencies collective imagination takes flight. The shelter is where staff bear witness. It is where we encourage hope and well-being. It is where action is taken to reduce harm and to embrace the possibility of client defined and driven recovery.

It can also be a place of heartbreak and despair that further calls us to action.

For some staff, the work is overwhelming. It can be difficult to adjust to a value system that is non-judgmental and client focused; to let go of our personal agendas isn’t easy.  To unlearn what even our schooling sometimes gets wrong. Many well meaning folks who have seen clients as people to be saved have been burned out by the work involved to strive for such a lofty and impossible goal. It is the walk not the talk that matters and also it is the walk not the talk that trips us up. It isn’t an easy walk with the client who is in almost constant crisis and in the end must save herself. Some staff have hung in there and still work on this understanding while others have moved on early to find a better fit for themselves elsewhere.

It is in our shelter where staff learn that there is no turning away from the impact of historic and real time trauma and the symptomatic expression through addiction and mental health. It is in the shelter the impact of intergenerational trauma, poverty, homelessness, systemic racism, gender and sexual orientation discrimination, sexism and grief are witnessed. It is in the shelter that the hearts of our staff are broken and where as staff we also find tremendous healing. It is where our often broken clients can find if even momentarily some sense of healing in their lives. The secret to our own healing as staff is the challenge to create space for hope. It may require as staff to show our own vulnerability in order to mirror to our clients our belief in their worthiness. In doing so we reinforce our own and their worthiness as a person and find healing together.

We model for the client a different way to be in the world through our consistency and awareness of power and how it is held between us. It is in the shelter that the seeds of worthiness are planted, maybe for the first time; where a client is seen as more than their addiction and bit by bit can let go of the shame that shuts her down. Working in the shelter means letting go of power and responding pragmatically to what caring really means. To actually seeing the client and to be willing to be seen by them. This work, what can only be defined as compassion has infiltrated throughout our history and into the marrow of all our programs here in Calgary and in Lethbridge. It has enhanced our education, diverse skills and tool kits and has created generous and seasoned workers who daily show up to build capacity and resilience with our clients; always placing them first.

In closing…this is my last offering for this log series as I mark 25 years at Alpha House. It comes as we prepare in this year of pandemic for staff service recognition and appreciation week in early December. I am so proud of all our staff across our programs who truly strive to leave no client behind.

Peace,

David Burke

 


A Letter from our Executive Director

Shaundra Bruvall | November 25, 2020

The Holiday Season is often a time of reflection as we look back on the year that was and anticipate what will be when the calendar turns on January 1st. Without question, 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for our city, our country and the world.

At Alpha House, we have done our best to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerable people we serve, both in Calgary and in our new stabilization centre and shelter in Lethbridge. We’ve collaborated with partners to find and provide safe shelter that will meet all protocols and guidelines, asked our staff to go above and beyond in caring for clients, and we’ve taken every precaution we can to keep men and women seeking our help, safe.

Despite many new challenges, our priority remains the same as it’s always been: to meet the needs of individuals whose lives are affected by alcohol and other drug dependencies.

 With our resources being stretched thin, this year more than ever, we need your help. Since 2018, Tom Jackson – a beloved Canadian musician, actor and philanthropist and Alpha House volunteer – has dedicated one of his annual “The Huron Carole” concerts to support Alpha House. Last year’s sold-out concert raised funds for our Downtown Outreach Addiction Program, also known as the DOAP Team.

 On Tuesday December 1, the annual Huron Carole concert “Light Inside” is going virtual in support of our DOAP Team, and recovery programs in Calgary and Lethbridge.

As Tom so eloquently says, “Under the cloud of these challenging times, those less fortunate in our world are going to be the ones most impacted by the current economic fall-out from Covid 19. This Christmas season is going to be different from any other. It’s going to require us, as individuals and as a society, to look inside ourselves for a light of optimism. A silver lining. We must treasure that light and hang on to that silver lining with all our might.”

It is our request and hope that you will join us for this treasured holiday tradition celebrating the music and meaning of the season. Tickets are just $15 or $30 (includes a VIP pre-show experience with Tom).

We understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for our community. If you are able, please join us for an evening that is sure to lift your spirits and that will give hope to other Calgarians as we all reach for the light inside.

Tickets are available here.

You may also donate to Alpha House online.

With thanks,

Kathy


Alpha House Partnership: Calgary Police Services

Shaundra Bruvall | September 10, 2020

If I was to offer an introduction of the 40 year history of Alpha House two important groups would stand out…the now decommissioned Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission and Calgary Police Services.

A little back ground:

On April 15, 1970, the government of Alberta approved the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Act, which created the Alberta Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Commission. With this Act came the clear delineation of drug abuse prevention as part of AADAC’s responsibility along with the continuation of alcohol abuse prevention (“Alcoholism” was shortened to “Alcohol” in 1985.)

In April 2009 AADAC (Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission) was decommissioned after 25 years as part of the amalgamation of the previous 9 health regions, Alberta cancer board, and Alberta mental health board. The amalgamation is now complete and all of the old AADAC’s services are now part of the newly named Addiction and Mental Health services of the Alberta Health Services. The combination of addiction and mental health services is in keeping with the trend of recognizing the importance of concurrent disorders. Addiction and mental health services will now focus on 3 streams which includes addiction primarily, mental health primarily and concurrent disorders. – Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine August 2009 Vol 13 Number 2

I’m not an expert on the history of Calgary Police Services (CPS) so please excuse me as I move forward. What I do understand from oral accounts is that Alpha House from its conception drew from AADAC, the Solicitor General’s office, and Calgary policing.

“Early Alpha House members came from ADDAC or had a history of working in addictions, some also came from CPS and this included some with dual associations in self-help step programs. This group of individuals with the backing of the Solicitor General through sheer determination helped to make Alpha House a reality.”

Stuart Hutton
CPS DOAP Recognition Award Plaque 2011

Calgary Alpha House Society was incorporated in fall of 1981 and opened its door in January of 1982. Its mission was to provide a safe and caring environment for men and women with alcohol and other addictions. Its innovation was a shelter tied to a detox centre in one location complimenting the efforts of an AADAC run medical detox with a non-profit social model of shelter and detox.

In recognition, Alpha House 10 years of service with AADAC

Alpha House began at a time when Calgary Police Services were hoping to divert people from their city cell system, which often included ticketing those least able to pay and ended with many being incarcerated for minor public intoxication infractions. Alpha House quickly became an alternate to city cells across all city police districts. Innovations with the non-profit sector eventually included CPS liaison officers who could respond to those with alcohol and other drug dependencies and now includes directorship on the Alpha House society board. Something mutually healthy evolved. Not perfect but progressive. (Remember that this period included a war on drugs mentality that to this day impacts and hampers public discourse and policy.)

By the early 1980’s non- profits like Alpha House became funded agencies under AADAC (and eventually under Addiction and Mental Health). AADAC and its lens towards prevention impacted not only the addiction change models that Alpha House would work from but also the justice and policing models that would emerge around addiction and mental health and under provincial diversion programs which would follow. CPS were hoping to pull away from the ‘drunk tank’ approach towards public intoxication and Alpha House was mandated to bring withdrawal stabilization and  recovery planning to those caught in the cycle of addiction. Government policy changes helped these approaches at Alpha House and CPS to mature. Our mandate to provide safe and caring places for people with alcohol and other drug dependencies gave us the adaptability to respond to the changing nature of recovery and the health based issues related to addiction and mental health. CPS and its core values Respect, Honesty, Compassion, Courage, Fairness, Accountability and Integrity are values Alpha House supports.

The day to day experience for Alpha House and CPS has continued to involve over the years. I can recall the involvement of beat officers (later Community Peace Officers). Seasoned officers often made it a point to introduce new recruits and rookie officers to Alpha House. Alpha House maintained a high degree of confidentiality from its earliest days and Calgary Police Services recognized that our focus was different from policing. Our focus was about building relationships so as to encourage recovery and trust was what made that happen. CPS respected this and we also worked to not break trust with them.

Officers who dropped off intoxicated clients learned quickly that we were ready to respond and through our respect for the client we conveyed respect to the role as police officers. The ensuing decades for Alpha House and CPS was a progressive time as both addressed the impact of migration, immigration and reparation in an ever changing city with a growing, diverse population. Through oil and gas booms and busts the city grew quickly and agencies like Alpha House and services like CPS responded. CPS saw that building strong relationships with communities was a way to prevent crime. By the time Alpha House was ready to expand its shelter and detox models and to start the operation of its Outreach (DOAP) team and its focused housing programs, CPS was also ready to embrace these diversion programs that we were offering. Throughout they have remained an ally in the work we do.

Perhaps one of my happiest moments along with others here at Alpha House was when the Calgary Police Service Strategic Indigenous Road Map was introduced. It mirrors our own intentions to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The work of the Aboriginal Liaison Officer is important to us and we hope that every district will have one on staff soon. Likewise we appreciate the efforts of the Calgary Police Services Diversity Resource Team and its role in the LBGTQ community who we also serve.

Policing, I believe as it is for those of us working in addictions, isn’t an easy gig. We have been able to learn from each other and are painfully aware of gaps. I have seen individuals in both fields struggle in ways that they probably looking back would now regret. There are also things to unlearn to make way for new innovations. What changes groups in the end seems to be not so much individual behavior but policy measures. What Alpha House got right was there from its inception, build relationships based on care and safety. It is hoped our partnership with CPS continues to grow and evolve given that shared mandate.

David is marking his 25th year of service at Alpha House with a series of blogs. David is humbled to be allowed to express his views in recognition that he does not speak for the agency as a whole.


Grief and Loss at Alpha House: A Personal Reflection*

Shaundra Bruvall | June 30, 2020

(* As a personal reflection I am recalling my own experience of what for most is a very personal experience and in no way am speaking for someone else’s experience.. Also this is not a speculation on causes of death which is probably at the expected rate for the size of the population of the city of Calgary) 

And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.

Rainer Maria Rilke

The above picture and poem are part of the pop-up memorial for clients that have died and are remembered by staff and other clients at Alpha House. At least twice yearly we commemorate the passing of clients with boards like the one above filled with coloured butterflies bearing the names of those who have recently passed away. The display is set up for a month and then we offer a memorial service for all wanting to attend. At the memorial service we drum and sing, offer smudge, lite candles, and speak prayers for a safe crossing as the names are read. We close with a favorite song, or with antidotes and stories of those who have passed. At the end refreshments often along with a meal is served, reminding  us all that we need to care for ourselves as we grieve and move on with our lives.

Talking with staff and clients about grief and loss I have been told of some of the specific ways that people mark the death of someone they knew, worked with closely or carry in some way as a loss. Several take flowers they find growing wild or rocks that attract their eye and drop them into the Elbow River or Bow River from a bridge or shoreline, adding a prayer as they symbolically let the deceased person go. Some set adrift ordinary brown bags with a lighted tea candle inside and set them on the river just before dawn or later after sunset with a similar prayer of letting go. At one ceremony for a deceased staff member we set fifty or so helium filled balloons to the afternoon sky as a way of saying safe journey. Before COVID19 it is not unusual for staff and clients to join with family members and there memorial services for a love one. At times we have accommodated a family or group of friends to use our space at Alpha House for that purpose. Some client’s display their grief verbally with tearful out breaks and even what can seem like anger; some with the funny and the dear stories they remember. Staff debrief and talk things out with trusted colleagues and supports. Formally and informally those that survive find their ways to grieve and move forward from loss. As humans we need to express our grief and loss often collectively and always personally. Tears are shed and rituals are given meaning as we mark the dignity of life and of dying of those whose lives have touched our own.

 My personal experience with death and dying spans my career as a social worker. My first job as a caseworker with the then known AIDS Calgary taught me a few things about grieving and its importance. My work at Alpha House has continued to be a teacher in this regard. Many of our people have died without family near and as staff we were in that fortunate place to bear witness to their life, truly an honour. In these days of COVID19 as it once was during the AIDS epidemic it seems like grief and loss is everywhere. All the more reason to rely on rituals especially those specific to ourselves to acknowledge the impact of loss in our collective and personal lives. Under COVID19 restrictions our group memorial will have to wait as we remain attuned to the expression of grief.

 To bear witness at the passing of a client I have known is to not give in to the adage that ‘the person now is in a better place’. It may be true they are, but I have learned that people can be the most alive in their dying. I often use phrases like ‘they are in a better place ‘or  ‘at least they are no longer suffering’ to give reason to the experience that even when someone’s dying  is expected it can often feel sudden and too soon. By not using these phrases or getting beyond them I am better able to speak to their lived lives; the great desire people have to keep living through the difficult challenges of addiction and mental health. Death came as clients were busy living, loving and caring in the best ways they knew.

 This doesn’t mean we forget what can improve people’s lives and the challenges they face. Each passing reminds us to keep to the task at hand of improving the lives that we touch and touch us.  Issues from poverty to homelessness, racism and colonialism and the failed war on drugs are part of this ongoing work. The lives of those who have died help us to remember the ongoing work as a society we need to do.

 Alpha House takes people where they are at and our challenge is to advocate for change in our non-judgmental capacity. It is helpful to recall the community the client lived in and drew support from and not just their history of trauma and missteps they may have taken. That is why when family and friends come to a service we are hosting or when we can attend one of theirs what makes us equals shine through. When clients who knew the deceased gather outside for an impromptu remembrance these can be so meaningful. When staff and clients can share smudge (outside in small gathering these days) closure is made possible.

For the clients who have died I remember them as people who lived resourcefully, with humor, resilience, eccentricity, and with love and caring for others in all ways that humans express their humanity to each other. Addiction and mental health in the end didn’t defeat them, just as addiction and mental health aren’t the conclave of the marginalized, homeless and impoverished as it crosses all social and economic status. I choose to recall the aliveness, joy, love and cultural expression of those who have gone before.

David is marking his 25th year of service at Alpha House with a series of blogs.


Wellbriety at Alpha House

Shaundra Bruvall | June 10, 2020

On Tuesdays and Thursdays for over 2 years, Alpha House has hosted Wellbriety sessions for clients who are completing or have already completed our Detox Program. Clients return each week to keep a connection to this Indigenous program offering. (During Covid-19, we have limited numbers and incorporated social distancing and other health requirements).

Facilitated by our Cultural Reconnection Peer Support Worker, Michael Firingstoney, and co-founded with Wade Maude, our Indigenous Coordinator, this co-ed recovery program has become a mainstay for Detox and returning participants alike.

The Wellbriety Movement (also called the Wellbriety Path) uses culture to help individuals to heal from drug and alcohol use, as well as to heal from the systemic, inter-generational and historical trauma that is often related to substance addictions for Indigenous people. The program is robust and adaptable and it enriches the recovery path of all individuals who decide to participate. At its heart, it sees Indigenous culture as preventative and restorative.

 “The Wellbriety Movement was born in the early to mid-1990s and merged 12 Step AA/NA with the teachings of the Medicine Wheel. This approach uses any or all the various local tribal traditions in meetings and talking circles. The Wellbriety Movement also highlighted the need to go beyond sobriety to heal the wounds of inter-generational trauma carried by almost all Native Americans people (Coyhis, 2006). Native Americans people now understand that alcoholism is a symptom of more deeply embedded wounds. The most prevalent wound is the trauma of oppressive genocidal behaviors and policies arising from the dominant Euro-American society and passed down unabated from generation to generation. The most obvious outward causes of inter-generational trauma.”

Linda Anderson: The WellBriety Path to Treating Co-Occurring Disorders in Native Americans: An Adlerian Perspective An Experiential Project 2017

Alpha House employs over 300 people with diverse cultural backgrounds. Each year the Detox program alone welcomes nearly two thousand clients of diverse ethical and religious backgrounds. As Alpha House seeks to provide safe and caring environments for men and women with alcohol and substance use addictions, Wellbriety has become an inclusive environment for all.

Between 50 – 60% of Alpha House clients are Indigenous or of Metis descent.  The Indigenous program through Wellbriety connects participants to agency sponsored Sweat Lodge Ceremony, Drumming Circles, Sharing Circles, and access to Elders. All clients are offered these services as part of Alpha House’s continuum of care. Alpha House recognizes that trauma informed care for all helps to heal the wounds of addiction and of historical and ongoing systemic discrimination.

How does it work?

Every Wellbriety session at Alpha House attracts 8-10 people per session (3-4 during Covid-19) and each group of sessions is offered over a three month period. Given the nature of Detox, not everyone will complete the full set of modules offered in one go. However the door is open for those wanting to maintain their recovery by completing the Wellbriety steps. Each cycle is marked initially by welcoming returning clients and at the ending of the cycle by recognizing participants who have completed the Wellbriety program. The Wellbriety Path in this way welcomes continuous engagement. 

Comments from WellBriety participants at Alpha House:

A Wellbriety graduation in March 2020

“Wellbriety has helped inspire me to stay sober through connecting my sobriety through traditional teachings. Within the holistic framework Wellbriety uses I find myself more inclined to share about the suffering that goes along with addiction.” Matt

“It has given me a better outlook and a different approach to sobriety.” Alex

“Myself, I’ve been to numerous treatment centers and have found in Wellbriety the awareness surrounding oppression and spirituality as internal was beneficial. “ Jared

  Delaware Indians, Anxiety And Anger, Native American Beading, Thing 1 Thing 2, Recovery, The Creator, Finding Yourself, Healing, Positivity

There is a solution for us as Native people, and for some of us it is a return to the traditional ceremonies of our Nations. For some of us, it is to seek out an Elder and have him or her help us find the path to the Good Road or to the Red Road as we call it.

The Red Road to Wellbriety Study Guide page 19

Looking Forward

Over time we hope that as alumni mature and grow they will also become instrumental in supporting the Wellbriety program. We aren’t there yet but it looks promising. One alumni beginning has been the Sober Clan, as an offshoot of the Alpha House Wellbriety sessions this group of alumni now help with running of the meetings and assisting the facilitator and new group members with their stories of recovery. Several of the Sober Clan have reached their one year of recovery thanks to Wellbriety.

Text Box: Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear
In the wind
Whose breath gives life
To the world
Hear me 
I come to you
As one of your many children 
I am small and weak
I need your strength
And wisdom
May I walk
In beauty
The Wellbriety 30 day recovery medallion is engraved with these words that continue to inspire us to support this meaningful and healing program…
 
Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear
In the wind
Whose breath gives life
To the world
Hear me
I come to you
As one of your many children
I am small and weak
I need your strength
And wisdom
May I walk
In beauty

To date we have given out 50, 30-day medallions; for some, marking their longest period of sobriety. We are proud for all who have participated and all who have shown their best in this Alpha House Indigenous program offering.

Please note that Indigenous Programming at Alpha House is dependent on individual and community donations from people like you .

David is marking his 25th year of service at Alpha House with a series of blogs.


Recovery at Alpha House During COVID-19

Shaundra Bruvall | May 21, 2020

For many of those who know Alpha House, you know that recovery and harm reduction principles and practices are part of our work culture and go hand-in-hand…two sides of the same coin.

The shared principles that bridge the dichotomy between harm reduction and recovery include:

  • Respect
  • Dignity
  • Compassion
  • Building trust and relationship
  • Being non judgemental
  • Increasing our quality of response

Alpha House has developed wise practices that work for people and their willingness for change. From our understanding change is incremental and begins with small steps. As someone recently coined it …practicing harm recovery.

“It may be that traditional <office-based> substance abuse programs continue to operate according to the philosophy that people with addiction disorders need to ‘‘hit bottom’’ and seek help for treatment to be successful. There has been a challenge to this paradigm in the trans-theoretical model proposed by Prochaska and DiClemente which posits that behavior change involves a process that occurs in increments. Change is viewed as a progression from a pre-contemplation stage—where the person is not considering a change; to contemplation—where the person is carefully weighing the pros and cons of changing; to preparation—where planning and commitments for change efforts are secured; to action—to make the particular change; to maintenance—in which the person works to sustain long-term changes. Also, Motivational Enhancement Therapy is an evidence-based practice in addictions treatment that views ambivalence as a part of the recovery process, and employs strategies to reduce ambivalence by building motivation.” [1]

Alpha House staff are keen observers of the stage of change model and motivational interviewing and use these tools to support the recovery of the men and women they serve. Along with our understanding  of crisis management, trauma informed care, brain science, the complexity of alcohol and drug use, and the importance of fellowship and mentoring, Alpha House has created an extensive tool kit that help staff to build motivation with and for its clients. Alpha House’s commitment to those with alcoholic and substance abuse issues, often marginalized, homeless, and street engaged is to bring empowerment and inclusion while meeting them where they are at. In doing so, Alpha House responds daily to the chronic nature of addiction not just to its acute manifestations.          

“You don’t get over an addiction by stopping using. You recover by creating a new life where it’s easier to not use. If you don’t create a new life, then all the factors that brought you to your addiction will catch up with you again.”

– Unknown

Alpha House, its staff and its clients are on the front line of COVID-19 and recovery. By building relationships, we are helping people to create new lives no matter what challenges precipitate. Many years ago in my first year at Alpha House a value statement emerged from the staff …simply put it stated that people we worked with were more than their addiction. How great is that…at the time 24 staff worked together to foster that value statement as part of its strategic plan for the agency. Now we have over 300 staff and that value statement still stands as we move forward with our clients every day. COVID-19 doesn’t preclude recovery…it provides an opportunity to re-frame a person’s belief that recovery isn’t possible. There is no good time for recovery except for the willingness to begin…one small step at a time.

The process begins anew every day. Stabilization and care are key as clients move through our programs of outreach, shelter, detox, and housing. Keeping people safe during COVID-19 is not different from reducing harm from their addiction and making space in people’s lives for recovery.

Given that clients don’t have access to treatment centres or to peer support step programs these days due COVID-19 it would seem that recovery has been pushed out of the picture. Crisis management however tells us otherwise…dialogue, active listening, and reframing as well as providing a safe and caring environment does foster change and can influence positive outcomes. Our work is more than planting seeds for change, it is observing and responding to what is already growing within each client. As we face this pandemic we do so together and we see clients as more than their addiction. We have been able to maintain detox scenarios throughout our pandemic response, though sometimes with reduced capacity. We have been able to encourage abstinence for those that want it by providing supportive touch and verbal and nonverbal communication as we move them from outreach, shelter to transitional beds and housing.

In our shelters in Calgary and Lethbridge, we educate and model for clients the importance of social distancing, hand washing, and continuous masking and we have increased access to nursing care including symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 testing. The variables fluctuate but the path doesn’t, we don’t compromise on recovery because of COVID-19.

“The waveform that overwhelms a maturing human being from the inside is the inescapable nature of their own flaws and weaknesses, their self-deceptions and their attempts to create false names and stories to place themselves in the world; the felt need to control the narrative of the story around them with no regard to outside revelation. The immense wave on the outside is the invitation to give that self-up, to be borne off by the wave and renamed, revealed and re-ordered by the powerful flow. “ [2]

In our shelter and detox, stabilization and recovery includes offering things that make a difference:

  • Increase phone access for clients so as to contact those they are worried about and encouraging them to reach out to those who may be worried about them due to COVID-19.
  • Although in house services have been impacted that has meant an increase in staff time for each person with staff able to engage clients more deeply and frequently.
  • Recovery includes providing respite and nourishment when other sources have closed or limited access.
  • It also means making sure people have access to their medication and being able to address medical and mental health needs.
  • Encouraging clients to develop routines and check-ins with staff

The people we work with have given us many anecdotal statements over the years. Their voices continue today to counter the judgements of those that don’t often value or know the nature of our work…but even more their voices counter the narratives that have constrained them in the past… they deserve to have the last comments of this post…

This was a life lesson for me, thank you for the opportunity and hospitality

Alpha House acknowledges the potential anybody has and is willing to help. I think that is magical

Everyone who helped me are angels! Thank you for giving me the first step towards taking my life back.

Thank you everyone for all the tools to set me sober, I fell as if this is a huge step forward in the right direction for me and my family, thanks.

The staff have been extremely helpful, especially with helping to get me through my low moments and to help me stay focused on what I have accomplished and steps I’m taking.

From dry out to sober living, Alpha House has been instrumental in my recovery

COVID-19 has impacted and limited activities [in Detox] but  the positive influence of staff have helped me to stay sober.

David is marking his 25th year of service at Alpha House with a series of blogs. If you would like to share your story or comments with him you can reach him at [email protected]


[1] Assertive Outreach: An Effective Strategy for Engaging Homeless Persons with Substance Use Disorders into Treatment Deborah Fisk, L.C.S.W.,1Jaak Rakfeldt, Ph.D.,2andErin McCormack, M.S.W.

[2] CONSOLATIONS: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. 2014. David Whyte and Many Rivers Press