Addiction is a problem with which we are sadly familiar here in the Maritimes. Now, two new initiatives in Cape Breton are looking to help people cope with the illness.
Aaron Hersey knows first-hand about living under the tight grip of addiction. He says he was an addict for 23 years, at one point living among the homeless in Moncton.
Now Hersey is clean, and looking to help others struggling with addiction.
"I spent some time in the shelter there, at Harvest House, and I want to open a Harvest House here in Sydney, to reach out to people who are in need," says Hersey.
Two Harvest House locations in Cape Breton have closed in recent years.
The shelter in Glace Bay had to be torn down due to severe structural damage, and the North Sydney location shut its doors a few years ago.
Hersey is hoping to reopen at least one of them, but as a long-term rehabilitation centre where people can stay for months, rather than simply spend the night.
"They could go to a place where they could be loved, where they could have a mother figure, have a father, have a brother figure, have somebody in their life that does care," says Hersey.
Meanwhile, a brand new addictions recovery centre is opening on a rustic farm property in rural Point Edward, and it's for women only.
The Hope Project is billed as a live-in recovery home for women who have substance abuse issues. Its founders say it's the first of its kind in Cape Breton.
"It is a 'Talbot House' for women, and it's about time," says Hope Project Co-Founder Laura Whyte.
Starting Monday with the arrival of the first four clients, organizers say the goal is a tranquil, family-like setting. They hope to eventually expand to a total of eight beds.
"We encourage women to learn who they are again, and how to care for themselves. We're really excited for women to focus on health, in their emotional, their physical, intellectual and their spiritual well-being," explains Whyte.
"There's so many people who are in need here, it's unbelievable, and they really need to have someone out there who is going love them," adds Hersey.
Grassroots efforts by people try to provide more places of healing to those who need it most.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald.
