Portage Elora welcomes young people with substance abuse problems, aged 14 to 18+ from all regions of Ontario in a stable state of mental health.

The program’s duration is determined by each individual’s needs, motivation, and readiness for treatment; it can be up to six months.

Thanks to government funding and private donations, Portage is able to provide its rehabilitation services free of charge to Ontario residents, with only nominal fees to pay.

Portage Elora is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) through the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (WWLHIN), by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS), several children’s aid societies, and by the Portage Ontario Foundation through the Portage Ontario Youth Treatment Fund.

The MOHLTC provides a limited number of beds (at no cost to residents), as does the Portage Ontario Youth Treatment Fund. At times, there are waiting lists for these beds. Portage is also licensed by the MCYS to provide beds on a fee for service basis to Children’s Aid Societies and to individuals or families who wish to pay for immediate access to treatment. Please contact the admissions office at Portage Elora for the current rate.

The centre is located in Elora, near Guelph, Ontario. The address is 6681 Irvine Street, Elora, ON N0B 1S0 - T. 519 846-0945.

The program is offered in English.

Admission to the program is voluntary. An interview is conducted prior to admission, during which the client’s needs and readiness are evaluated. It also gives the potential client a chance to visit the centre to get a better idea about the environment and the services that are offered.

Please contact the centre for more information.

No. Referrals to the program can be made by the clients themselves, their families or guardians, social service agencies, hospitals, community resources, courts, schools, and other treatment providers.

After the resident has been at Portage for at least 2 weeks, the first family visit occurs on Portage premises for a 3 hour period. After 30 days in treatment, family members can take the resident offsite for a 6 hour visit. Two weeks after that, requests can be submitted for residents to leave the centre with their family every two weeks for 9 hour periods at first, and then 12 hour periods, until they reach a certain level in their therapy where they can stay with their family members for a 24 hour period. Once they have reached this level, subsequent visit durations increase by 12 hour increments, so the following visit is 36 hours, then 48 hours, etc. The family visit schedule is subject to change, at the discretion of the resident’s caseworker.