Welcome to
Village on Irvine
We're excited to be part of the Elora & Salem community.
Village on Irvine is a project by The Working Centre. We are forming a healing and skills development community where people who have overcome illness, poverty, or addiction can live with their pets & partners, learn employable trades skills, and get work experience so that they can build a better future for themselves and their families.
Why this matters
We at The Working Centre have supported vulnerable populations for more than 40 years. Our background includes housing, social enterprises like bike shops, cafes, and thrift stores, homelessness supports, medical teams, job search services, and a two-acre market garden. Village on Irvine furthers our mandate of creating integrated projects that provide access to tools for those without work, those without housing, and the most vulnerable.
People in southwestern Ontario with pets or partners who want to exit the shelter system, beat their addiction, and build the rest of their lives need to a safe environment to heal once they finish rehab.
They've already done the hard part of getting sober, but they don't want to go back to where they lived before because those are the same places they got sick. They're looking for the time and care to get a good job and get back on their feet.
So we sat with people living in the cycle of addiction and poverty and asked them: what three things would you want from a post-rehab community? They told us they want to:
Live outside the City
Get away from the drug culture of the city centre, where they can rest, breathe, and put a little distance between who they were and who they want to be
Have meaningful training
Learn new skills, get jobs on site, show up for shifts, and escape the poverty cycle of Ontario Works and ODSP, barely making rent each month
Welcome pets & partners
Don't force people to have to choose between getting well and staying with the animals and people they love, who stuck with them through hardship
Why this place
6681 Irvine Street has a long history as a place of healing.
6681 Irvine Street has a long history as a place of healing.
For nearly 40 years, the property at 6681 Irvine St. was home to Portage Ontario. Portage was a youth addictions treatment centre, where young people had the opportunity to heal, finish their education, and build a new life.
When we first visited this property, we could see the strength of the land, the practical uses it had been built for, and the history that complemented our vision.
While it will no longer be a rehab centre, instead helping people who have already gone through addictions treatment and successfully completed it, 6681 Irvine St will build on Portage's legacy to help people build themselves a better future.
What we offer
Village on Irvine a community where people who have overcome their addiction can live far away from substances and build the next chapter of their lives. This project will offer its residents:
Safety
Stable accommodation: so they have a place to lay their head at night
Pets & partners: so they don't have to choose between their loved ones and their desire to heal
No substances, not even alcohol: so they can settle into their sobriety in a place that doesn't trigger them
24/7 staffing: sso there is always someone to turn to if things get hard
Healing
24/7 staffing: therapists or other mental health professionals on site all day, so they get the support they need.
Nature: a place of peace, where they can be away from the tension of the city and rebuild themselves from a new foundation
Community: residents cook meals, clean the house and do the work of community life together, building new bonds and friendships to sustain them through this transition
Skills Development
Working the land: growing vegetables in a large market garden
Learning trades: carpentry, vehicle repair, and landscaping – the skills Ontario needs and the pathway to good jobs and stable housing
Social entrepreneurship: using the skills we train to start businesses, earning money and getting real job experience that will make it easier to get hired on after the program
This is a place where adults who have already recovered from addiction can live with safety, healing and skills development, all supported by mental health professionals and trained staff on 24/7.
Training pathways
We have a long history of employment supports, and know that there is almost no pathway our of poverty that doesn't involve getting a job. Village on Irvine focuses on two opportunities for residents to gain employable skills.
Direct path to employment
This pathway trains people in the skills the community needs right now: carpentry, farm labour, kitchen work, mechanic support. With training and good references, graduates can find local work quickly.
Skilled trades pathway
Get more education, and set themselves up to begin training for their red seal, to be a licensed electrician or mechanic, and get ready for programs at nearby schools to stabilize their income and build a career.
Community Approach
Purpose
This site will be a place where people who have already gone through addictions treatment and successfully completed it can come to live, learn new skills, and get work experience so that they can find a good-paying job and build a better future for themselves and their families.
There will be no substance use of any kind on site — not even alcohol — and staff will be here 24/7 to ensure residents have support and the guidelines are followed.
Resident Framework
In order to make sure we can offer that safe environment, the site will have firm rules and structures that all residents must follow, based on five core values:
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Kindness
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Safety
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Participation
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Bravery
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Abstinence
How people will access the program
To access this community program, and individual must:
complete an addictions treatment program for a minimum of 28 days (most are longer)
agree to the rules of the site
create a personal recovery plan, alongside the staff
engage in the daily programming of this project
Nobody is forced to be here. The individuals entering the community are actively choosing for themselves to move into a substance-free community because they decided for themselves that they want to be in a substance-free community. Anyone who is a member of this community is here because they want to be here, do not want to use drugs, and have chosen a new path for themselves.
FAQ
Is this a rehab centre?
No. Rehab is where people who are using drugs go to wean their bodies off of addictive substances, typically in a 'detox' space for a week and an addictions treatment facility for 28 days. Village on Irvine is a place where people who have already successfully completed treatment can come to heal and move forward.
Will there be drugs on site?
The whole purpose of this project is to create a space where people who are trying to escape addiction and street life can go to be safely away from these substances. There will be zero drug use on site and every participant will be fully committed to sobriety. Not even alcohol is allowed here.
What about prescription drugs?
Yes, medications prescribed by a doctor (anti-depressants, seizure medication, etc.) will be permitted on site. Healthcare is a part of this program and we do not interfere with medical prescriptions.
Is this a municipal project?
This is not a project of Wellington Township. The Working Centre is purchasing this property and is operating the project independently.
What will people do every day?
Every day, participants will have a highly structured combination of mandatory and optional activities in which they can participate. These will be informed by the experiences of other communities so they help build skills they need to move forward with their lives.
Can I get involved?
Of course! If you’d like to support this project as a donor or a volunteer, please share your information below and we’ll be in touch.
What if someone starts using drugs on site?
Relapse is often a part of recovery and we understand how difficult the path of sobriety can be. That said, we are committed to creating a drug-free environment for our participants. If someone begins using again, they will have leave the community and undergo some form of treatment before they are welcomed back. We do not want and will not allow drugs or alcohol of any kind in this community.
Can I speak to someone about this project?
Absolutely! If you want to speak to a member of our project team, please fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in touch.
Contact us
We want to be good neighbours and a responsible member of the Elora community!
We welcome your questions and we have set up a dedicated neighbour consultation line. Our hours will be Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The phone number 226-962-7001 will go to one of our project leads.
If you’d like to reach out outside of those hours, you are welcome to do so and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you'd rather email us directly, you can contact us at tonys@theworkingcentre.org or fill out the form below.
We’d love to hear from you, and look forward to being your new neighbours at 6681 Irvine!