A new client-led initiative at Brightshores Health System is turning personal recovery into positive community impact.
“Project 4 Hope” launched this fall at the Brightshores Wellness and Recovery Centre in Owen Sound. The group is made up of six clients who are currently in addiction recovery, supported by 19 peers who joined them for their first public event, a community cleanup in the city’s River District.
Naomi Vodden, Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for Brightshores Health System, said the project grew out of the centre’s elective programming, in which clients are encouraged to develop new skills and propose ideas that support their recovery.
“They wanted a platform to develop leadership, advocacy and community engagement skills,” Vodden explained. “While working hard to rebuild their own lives, they’re also reshaping how our community understands mental health, addictions and homelessness.”
The cleanup event aimed to bring visibility to recovery, open conversations, and reduce stigma. It’s just the beginning, as participants plan more community events, workshops and discussion panels in the coming months.
Vodden pointed out that programs like Project 4 Hope play a vital role in helping people rebuild confidence and purpose.
"I think it's really important to give clients an opportunity to transform their personal healing into something better, to share their voice and have the opportunity to make meaningful change," Vodden added. “I think that having years of addiction can make one feel disempowered, and being part of a project such as Project 4 Hope makes them realize how important they are and how many gifts they have to give to themselves and to the community.”
The Wellness and Recovery Centre recently marked its first anniversary, celebrating 33,000 outpatient visits and full occupancy across its 45 treatment beds. Since opening, the centre has helped dozens of clients transition from homelessness into stable housing and supported hundreds in completing individualized treatment plans.
The centre’s model, the first of its kind in Ontario, provides a holistic approach to healing by integrating physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness for individuals at all stages of recovery.
Vodden added that community partnerships have been key to the centre’s success. The City of Owen Sound provided supplies for the cleanup, and local groups continue to volunteer and host programming for clients and residents alike.
“It's starting to really meet its goals, which is to be a community wellness and recovery centre," she added. "So it's for the clients, but it's also for our community."
