Alberta is providing $300,000 to Oxford House to open two pre-treatment homes in Edmonton, where about 140 people a year can stay after detox while waiting for addiction treatment. The four- to six-week program is intended to address a gap between detox and treatment as the city continues to record a large share of the province’s opioid-related deaths.

The Government of Alberta announced more than $330,000 for 140 pre-treatment beds for people seeking addiction recovery, according to CTV News Edmonton. The funding for the two new homes is part of a provincial $10-million investment to expand pre- and post-treatment housing. One home will serve men and the other women.

A house lead will be onsite around the clock to support residents. Addiction counsellors and recovery coaches will also help clients develop skills to prevent relapse and understand their treatment and recovery options while they prepare for placement in a treatment program.

Mental Health and Addiction Minister Rick Wilson said at a news conference Tuesday that the province needs more pre-treatment beds and must continue building out its recovery model. “We know there is a need for more support in the city and the epicenter of Alberta’s opioid crisis,” Wilson said. “These new homes will provide people who have completed detox and the support and care they need before entering into treatment.”

In a statement Tuesday, Wilson said: “The road to recovery is unique for every person. Pre-treatment care provides stability, connection and support while someone is awaiting addiction treatment.” Alberta began transitioning to a “recovery-based” addiction treatment model in 2019.

Oxford House Foundation executive director Earl Thiessen said his own difficulty accessing addiction care informed the pre-treatment model. “For seven years, I was trapped in severe addiction and total homelessness,” Thiessen said. “I was a person society looked past - someone written off as hopeless. I used my lived experience to build the pre-treatment housing model in Alberta. It fills a gap in care that we are working to address.”

Oxford House first established its pre-treatment program in Calgary. Thiessen recalled the gap between detox and treatment as a “massive structural blind spot” that needs to be fixed. “This lethal waiting period is where 1,000s of lives have been lost,” he said. He also said: “This model’s importance and impact will affect generations and support the work of helping the chronically homeless and others find a path to healing.”

The province has funded Oxford House’s Calgary pre-treatment services since 2023, supporting nearly 1,200 Albertans to date, CTV reported. The non-profit has 27 recovery homes in Calgary, Edmonton and Drumheller. It also provides post-treatment support and peer-supported sober recovery homes for people with a history of substance use who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Alberta’s substance use dashboard recorded 290 opioid-related deaths in Edmonton from January to June, out of 506 deaths across the province. Edmonton’s toll was more than half the provincial total. The province says the city accounts for more than half of Alberta’s opioid-related deaths.

Although opioid-related deaths are trending downward, opioid prevalence has not. Alberta recorded 10,562 emergency medical services responses to opioid-related incidents in 2025, the highest number to date. Edmonton accounted for nearly 70 per cent of those responses.

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack said the city needs more addiction services and welcomed the funding, while saying current support does not meet demand. “We know that our ecosystem is still developing and meeting the level of demand that we’re seeing in our streets, and excited about the ongoing action from Minister Wilson and the entire provincial government,” Knack said. “I’m very optimistic that as we continue to work together like we have been over the last number of months here, and we continue to collaborate on these meaningful solutions, we’re going to see even more positive outcomes for the betterment of Edmontonians’ lives.”

Based on reporting by Edmonton Journal and CTV News Edmonton.