On June 19, 2025, the North Wind Wellness Centre (NWWC) officially broke ground on a transformational new facility in Pouce Coupe, BC—an event that marks a major milestone for Indigenous-led health care and recovery in Canada. Situated on the ancestral territory of the Treaty 8 First Nations, this new Health and Wellness Centre is the first in the country to fully integrate Traditional Indigenous Healing practices with evidence-based Western medicine under one roof, using the Addiction Recovery Community Housing (ARCH) model.

A First-of-its-Kind Approach

For many Indigenous individuals, accessing addiction treatment has meant leaving behind their communities, cultural supports, and familiar surroundings to enter fragmented care systems in distant urban centres. The NWWC changes that. By bringing together culturally grounded and clinically robust care in one location, the Centre represents a first-of-its-kind approach in Canada—and a bold new standard for future recovery services.

Streetohome Foundation is proud to be part of this journey and has committed to raising $800,000 to support the development of this innovative facility. This investment is rooted in our belief that healing must be personalized, culturally relevant, and accessible close to home.

A Shared Vision for Healing

The project is a collaborative effort involving the North Wind Wellness Centre Society, Treaty 8 First Nations, Streetohome Foundation, Northern Health, First Nations Health Authority, BC Housing, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and all levels of government. It reflects nearly a decade of shared vision, deep listening, and cross-sector collaboration aimed at doing better—for individuals, families, and future generations.

Bridging Gaps in the Continuum of Care

This facility offers something long missing in Canada’s addiction recovery landscape: a full continuum of care that is culturally safe, trauma-informed, and community-rooted. The ARCH model ensures that individuals do not fall through the cracks as they move between withdrawal management, treatment, and recovery housing—a gap that has too often led to relapse, homelessness, and disconnection from care. Through warm handoffs and a unified care pathway, the NWWC will ensure people receive consistent, compassionate support at every stage of their healing journey.

The new centre will offer:

• Five detox beds
• Ten addiction treatment beds
• Forty self-contained recovery supportive housing units
• The Junction, a peer-led recovery community hub that fosters ongoing connection and support

Together, these four pillars—Early Recovery Housing (ERH), Addiction Treatment Housing (ATH), Recovery Supportive Housing (RSH), and the Recovery Community Centre (RCC)—form the heart of the ARCH model, promoting sustained recovery and reconnection to family, culture, and purpose.

As construction begins, so too does a new chapter of hope, healing, and possibility for those affected by the toxic drug crisis in northeastern BC and beyond.

To learn more about the project and support Streetohome’s fundraising efforts, visit: https://www.streetohome.org/2023/03/03/addiction-recovery-community-housing