Even with the support of Portage’s social reintegration and aftercare services, the transition from the structured and secure environment at Portage to an autonomous lifestyle as a graduate can be a vulnerable and stressful period. In order to make it a bit easier, Portage is currently building Les Habitations Communautaires Portage II, a new supervised apartment building for the graduates of its drug addiction rehabilitation centres in the Montréal area.
Scheduled to open this summer, this brand-new thirty-unit apartment building is based on the success on Les Habitations Communautaires Portage I, a ten-unit apartment building that has been welcoming the graduates of Portage’s Mother and Child program since 2009. The supervised apartment structure empowers the tenants to take responsibility for the day-to-day management of their living environment and the proper functioning of the community, with support from Portage counsellors. It helps them with the social reintegration process, giving them the opportunity to employ the skills and competencies acquired during treatment.
Les Habitations Communautaires Portage II’s apartments will be offered to graduates of Portage’s various drug addiction rehabilitation programs in the greater Montréal region, at affordable prices. Residents will have access to on-site clinical, social, and professional guidance services, as well as to a rooftop terrace, a kitchen, and three community rooms.
Preparation for social reintegration is an important component of Portage’s drug addiction rehabilitation programs. While in treatment, residents develop an exit plan that covers all aspects of their life: family, friends, work, school, and health. Now that graduates have the option to move into Les Habitations Communautaires Portage II at the end of their residential program, the question of where to live has been simplified.
