Fresh Start Recovery Centre

About Fresh Start Recovery Centre:

Founded in 1992, Fresh Start Recovery Centre (Fresh Start) treats men with alcohol and drug addictions with the goal of restoring them to productive family and community members.

Fresh Start has a 12-week abstinence-based residential treatment centre that uses the AA 12-step recovery model and the Family Systems Method. The program is highly structured, with progress testing, individual and group counselling, as well as financial and family reintegration. The house’s capacity is 74 beds: 50 beds in phase 1 (primary treatment), 10 beds in phase 2 (second stage housing), and 14 beds in phase 3 (third stage housing). Fresh Start had 132 men enter the program in F2016, down 38% from the year before. Of the 132 men who entered, the majority reported that it was not their first time in recovery. Fresh Start reports that 79% of participants completed the program in F2016, roughly unchanged from the year before. The charity also reports a recovery rate of 55%, meaning that 55% of its clients were clean and sober after one year of recovery in F2016. This is up 4% from the year before.

Through a partnership with Pure North S’Energy Foundation, men in the residential treatment program can also take part in a health and wellness program to improve nutrition and mental health, and reduce the chance of falling ill in the future. The program provides participants with nutrients specific to their addiction recovery plan. After surveying 120 participants in the Pure North program both pre- and post-treatment, on average, respondents reported a more than 22% decrease in levels of anger, anxiety, confusion, coordination issues, depression, fatigue, headaches, shaky hands, moodiness, muscle weakness, and stomach problems.

Fresh Start also offers a 5-week Family Healing Program to support family members and friends who have been affected by addiction. In F2016, 69 men and women participated in the program, up 19% from the year before.

In 2013, Success Markets Inc. studied Fresh Start’s impact on its community. It found that Fresh Start has a social return on investment of $23 for every $1 invested in the charity. This SROI was recently revised and the Best Estimate rose to 31. Charity Intelligence has reviewed Fresh Start since 2007. It is consistently a high rated charity with high charity impact.

Financial Review:

Fresh Start Recovery Centre is a medium-sized charity with donations of $1.1m in F2016. Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 8% of donations. Per dollar donated to the charity, $0.89 goes toward its programs, which falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Fresh Start’s interest-bearing liabilities exceed liquid assets, largely due to $1.3m in outstanding bank demand loans. Negative funding reserves indicate a funding need.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by Fresh Start Recovery Centre. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 4, 2017 by Katie Khodawandi.