Les Habitations Communautaires Portage II (HCP II), a brand new thirty-unit apartment building created to provide graduates of Portage’s drug addiction rehabilitation programs with access to supervised apartments following treatment, welcomed its first tenants this past fall. The building is now at complete occupancy, filled with a community of individuals full of hope for a healthy, happy, and productive future.
“Lives are being transformed as a result of this project,” states Sylvain Montpetit, Director of Portage’s Aftercare Program. “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. For those who have the opportunity to be among us at HCP II, that transition has been made a little easier.”
With a grant from the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal, graduates from all of Portage’s programs in the Montréal region have access to these supervised apartments at affordable prices, for a period of up to two years following the completion of their residential program. The diversity of occupants – autonomous adolescents, adults, men, women, and children – is what makes this program so special, with a unique and fairly intense community environment, explains Mr. Montpetit. 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 resident committees in charge of maintenance, security, activities, and orientation for new neighbours. It helps them with the social reintegration process, giving them the opportunity to employ the skills and competencies acquired during treatment. Residents also have access to on-site clinical, social, and professional guidance services.