Work begins on East Vancouver detox facility 6 years after approval – BC [Video]

More than six years after winning approval from the city, a detox facility in Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood is finally seeing shovels in the ground.

The project on city land at East 1st Avenue and Clark Drive will include 97 non-market homes, along with a withdrawal centre.

“This development will not only offer low- to middle-income people and families a home that’s within their budget, but will also connect people to health-care treatment they need to get on a better path,” Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in a statement.

The withdrawal centre will include 51 medically-supervised detox beds, 20 sobering beds and 20 short-term transitional beds.

That last set will serve clients who have worked their way through withdrawal management, but are waiting for support recovery and treatment beds to open.

“For many, withdrawal management is often the first step of their recovery journey,” Health Minister Josie Osborne said.

“This new …