News
St. Joseph's Care Group to Open Safe Sobering Beds
Date: 2025-03-07
Thunder Bay, ON - For people living with addictions, every journey is different. St. Joseph's Care Group offers a continuum of services that, as of Monday, March 10, 2025, will include 7 new Safe Sobering beds.
Located at 500 Oliver Road, Safe Sobering will operate alongside Withdrawal Management. "Our staff have been hard at work since the announcement of $2.9 million in September," said Andrea Docherty, Vice President Clinical & Community Health. "It is a collaborative effort, involving staff, clients and partner organizations to make sure we have the right supports, processes, and environment in place. They have done an exceptional job in a short period of time."
Safe Sobering provides a new voluntary option for people aged 16 or over who are under the influence of alcohol or other substances, but do not require the level of care provided in the Emergency Department or Withdrawal Management.
Everyone who accesses Safe Sobering will be treated with dignity and respect. Wraparound supports include connections to treatment, mental health supports, traditional healing practices, and other social services. N'doo'owe Binesi, St. Joseph's Care Group's Indigenous Health division, will provide Traditional Healing, system navigation, counselling, and connection to Elders and ceremony.
"Today, we are closing a gap in addictions services," said Janine Black, President & CEO of St. Joseph's Care Group, reflecting on the recommendations of the Coroner's Inquest into the deaths of Roland McKay and Donald Mamakwa, and the contributions of over 30 organizations in developing a model for Safe Sobering. "These spaces represent our collective responsibility to people in crisis, offering the support needed without defaulting to emergency rooms or jail cells, which were never meant to be the front lines of addiction care."
Construction at the site continues. Upon completion, the total number of Safe Sobering beds will be 15, with the final 8 coming online in late spring 2025.
For more information about safe sobering or to inquire about the referral process, please contact St. Joseph's Care Group at 807-768-4455.
Backgrounder
- St. Joseph's Care Group (SJCG) combines tradition and innovation in providing a broad range of services and regional leadership in Mental Health & Addictions, Rehabilitative Care, Long-Term Care Homes and Supportive Housing. N'doo'owe Binesi is a innovative Indigenous Health department rooted in Anishinaabek culture that provides education and training, as well as Nanaandawe'ewin (Traditional Healing Program) and Indigenous Health Team supporting clients across SJCG.
- Our approach is wholistic people-centred care, meeting the people of Northwestern Ontario where they are on their wellness journey and supporting them to achieve their highest quality of life.
- Safe sobering is a voluntary service that provides a safe place for individuals under the influence of substances, such as drugs or alcohol, for up to 24 hours. The average length of stay is 4-8 hours.
- Funding for 15 safe sobering was announced on September 19, 2024.
- It was subsequently determined that Withdrawal Management and Safe Sobering would be co-located at 500 Oliver Road. Co-locating safe sobering and withdrawal services means that client needs can be stepped up or stepped down when needed.
- The first 7 Safe Sobering beds will open on March 10, 2025. Construction will continue, and the remaining 8 Safe Sobering beds will open in late spring 2025.
For more information, please contact:
St. Joseph's Care Group
Communications & Government Relations
Media Line: 807-768-4455 | Email: sjcg@tbh.net
