ABOUT US

• Communities Addiction Resource Society (CARS) has operated Clearview Centre in Nanaimo, BC, since 1995.  CARS is a charitable non profit society operating both Clearview Centre and the Womens' Post Acute Withdrawal Service (PAWS)
• We provide medically supervised detoxification from both alcohol and drug use.
• We accept clients from the area North of the Malahat up to Port Hardy.
• We receive funding form the Vancouver Island Health Authority and through public donations.

Originally, Clearview Centre provided non medical detox services for men and women.  In 1998, the Ministry for Children and Families informed us that we must become licenced under the Community Care Facility Licensing requirements.  After an initial assessment, it was found that we required some significant and expensive changes to the physical plant of the building.  During this time, we began to address the severely limited residential options for women, following detox. 

In April 2000, due to the lack of post detox supportive beds for women in our region,  CARS was funded to provide a residential program for women, with four beds, along with the detox program.  This was incorporated into the facility during the renovation  to meet Community Care Licensing requirements.  The new women=s Supportive Recovery program opened in November 2000, following the completion of the expansion of the facility.

In June 2003, Clearview Centre embarked on a capital fundraising campaign “Building Space for Recovery”, with the goal of raising sufficient funds to purchase an additional building in our neighbourhood, in order to expand our programs. 

At that time, our Detoxification Program, on any given day, had approximately 50 – 60 people on the waiting list.  We served all of Central and Upper Vancouver Island, with only 6 detox beds.  Our PAWS (Post Acute Withdrawal Service) Program for Women, serving the greater Nanaimo area, had a 2 to 3 month waiting list, with only 4 beds available.  Both programs were located in our facility at 967 Haliburton Street.

The need for an increased number of beds in both programs was undeniable.  Through much hard work and lobbying by our organization, the Nanaimo Working Group on Homelessness Issues, the Nanaimo Alcohol and Drug Action Committee, the City of Nanaimo, our MLA Mike Hunter and other MLA’s in our region, we were able to obtain the required funding. 

In March 2005, our charitable, non profit society, “Communities Addiction Resource Society” purchased 961 Haliburton Street, next door to our Medical Detox facility at 967 Haliburton Street.  Renovations began in late May, and were completed in October, 2005, at which time the Women’s PAWS Program relocated to the new building, ATHENA HOUSE, with the number of beds increased to 6.  The number of beds in the Medical Detox facility increased to 12.