CARBERRY — A 16-bed facility with 24-hour support is fully staffed and ready to operate in Carberry, but funding is holding it up, says co-owner Catherine Arnold.
“We have about nine families right now that are on the referral list and waiting,” Arnold said about the OTTER Centre. “They’re detoxing themselves and getting themselves ready, and then they end up going back into use because the funding isn’t available.
OTTER, which stands for overcoming trauma through everlasting relationships, was founded by Arnold, a social worker, and her partner, Tessa McPhee a registered psychiatric nurse. Combined, McPhee and Arnold have more than 20 years of experience working with clients in addiction and social services.
They met while working for the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, but for the past five years, McPhee and Arnold have been in private practice together.
McPhee credits their success to scientific principles of western medicine and spiritual practices of Indigenous healing. Arnold is a Métis woman.
The centre aims to help mothers and children who have been separated by the child welfare system.
They said they are not looking for operational funding, but rather support for individual clients. They have written to Premier Wab Kinew, Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith and the Manitoba Métis Federation.
A spokesperson from Smith’s office said the government had reached out to OTTER “to inform them of the types of supports and funding sources they are eligible for.”
McPhee confirmed that Smith’s team sent her information about a potential grant that could support women and children in their program, adding it is a potential opportunity, “but we remain hopeful.”
Based on their experience, McPhee said they recognized gaps in the child welfare system, in particular the separation of children from their mother.
“We’ve seen how the separation leads to that increased trauma response, and it really affects that healing process for both the mother and the child,” McPhee said.
“We wanted to create a place where they can really heal together in a supervised and safe environment, for two months,” she said.
The two came up with the idea of the centre, and they found a facility in Carberry in March, which had been vacant since June 2022. The building has 16 rooms with an east and west wing. Each wing has six single bedrooms, two couple suites with bathrooms, large community bathrooms equipped with laundry facilities, a large kitchen and dining area and a backyard.
They’ve hired psychiatric nurses, social workers, teachers, mentors, an executive leader, and participant co-ordinator.
“We’ll have a dedicated teacher on site to do assessments for each child, determine their educational level and create a learning plan for them,” said McPhee.
“So, while the school-aged kids will be doing their classes, the younger kids will be with early childhood educators, and the moms will be in groups with their programming.”
Clients must be referred by an external source, including a professional from mental health, addictions, Child and Family Services, social services, or the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program. Participants must promise to attend all programs, and if substance-use is listed, that person must have completed a detox/treatment program immediately before being admitted.
Additionally, the applicant must secure funding before enrolling, but according to both Arnold and McPhee, that’s the only barrier in people’s way.
“We’re ready, the programming is ready, moms and children are waiting to come but they cannot access funding. It’s sad that we’ve hit this roadblock,” McPhee said.
— Brandon Sun