It’s been over a year rife with many ups and downs for officials at Cornerstone to Recovery, which has been working tirelessly to bring a women’s residential treatment facility to Barrie.
Peter Brewitt, the organization’s director of counselling programs and development, told BarrieToday the last couple of years have been a combination of excitement and frustration for him and his team.
“We knew we were coming to Barrie, it was just a matter of when we were going to be able to stick shovels in the ground and tell people a little more specifically when we are going to open, as opposed to 'Coming Soon'. That gets a little frustrating,” he said Tuesday.
“With the opioid crisis being the way it is, there are people dying out there and we need to get this thing up and running and be of service to those that need it," Brewitt added.
With an official groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Friday, Feb. 18 at the 236 Dunlop St. W. site, not far from Anne Street, Brewitt said he's feeling more excited than frustrated now knowing shovels will finally be going in the ground.
“I am thoroughly elated that things are coming to fruition,” he said. “It’s just really exciting. I have waited a long time for this and finally we can tell people this is what we’re going to do, this is how we’re going to do it and this is where we are going to be — and we have a tentative timeframe.”
Brewitt told BarrieToday Cornerstone has hired Lori-Anne Seward to manage the 12-bed women’s residential program. He described Seward as being “very well-known” in the community and having “good solid idea” of what a women’s treatment facility needs to be.
Once construction begins, which Brewitt said will occur “very, very shortly,” they are anticipating the doors to officially open late this summer.
The not-for-profit organization has been offering programs that focuses on community-based treatment since 2004. Residents (currently men only) are provided with a 90-day stay that includes a holistic program, family counselling and re-employment training.
The Barrie facility will be the first community treatment centre for women in Simcoe County and will house up to 12 women at a time, providing them with their own bedroom and washroom.
Construction is expected to begin in March with a targeted opening in late August 2022.
