Pubdate: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2007 Calgary Herald Contact: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Kim Guttormson ADDICTION TREATMENT FACILITY GETS OK Police Chief Backs Proposal For More Beds Work can begin on a new 50-bed addiction treatment centre - a move that addresses a main recommendation of the province's crime reduction report - after city council on Monday approved its location in an industrial park. "These 50 beds are a small step in the right direction," said Stacey Petersen, executive director of Fresh Start, which hopes to have the facility open by December 2008. Fresh Start, which operates a 28-bed facility in Abbeydale, can now finalize the purchase of a vacant lot in the northeast Greenview Industrial Park. On Monday, council approved a land-use redesignation for the site, which will allow a treatment facility to operate there. Once the centre opens a year from now, a new group will run the Abbeydale facility, although Fresh Start will keep a hand in it. It will also continue to run two five-bed transitional houses in the community. "We will help with the management (of Abbeydale) to ensure it continues to be successful," Petersen said. The province's crime reduction task force, which released its report last week, identified five priorities - including making treatment of drug and alcohol addictions a top priority. Fresh Start typically has 50 to 60 men waiting for a bed at its facility. Police Chief Rick Hanson submitted a letter of support for the additional beds. "We really need more treatment facilities in Calgary," Hanson said in an interview last week. "They are, I think, a vital piece of the whole social plan for the city that addresses the needs of those who are in need of help." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek