A home-based addiction support and detox program run by Options Community Services in Surrey will have to shut down at the end of March if it doesn't receive an additional $550,000 annually in funding. 

The withdrawal management detox allows people to go through the program in the comfort and safety of their own home, with the support of a team of health-care and support workers.

Neil Arao, executive director of homelessness, housing and mental health services at Options, said the program, which started in April 2023, received a two-year grant from Health Canada's substance use and addictions program to start it. 

The program can be especially important for those struggling with substance use in the South Asian community, where addiction and substance use are highly stigmatized, Arao said, and where people are known to minimize how much they use. 

Options has many staff members who speak Punjabi and Hindi, so they can help clients through the withdrawal process and offer after-care support and counselling in their mother tongue.

Between 2015 and 2018, Fraser Health .

The program helps people in Surrey, 91Ô­´´, White Rock and Delta.

"We get referrals from anybody, whether it's family members, community members, professionals, other providers," Arao said. "Our team will do their initial assessments, and if the person is eligible for service, then we provide a physician, and they'll do their medical assessment. We administer medications to help with the medical withdrawal. We have counsellors that will offer support and groups for relapse prevention and family support." 

Since the program started in 2023, more than 200 people have completed it, with 18 in it and five on the wait list.

A team of researchers (Stefanie N. Rezansoff, Akm Moniruzzaman and Julian M. Somers, PhD) from Simon Fraser University partnered with Options to find if this was a better treatment model. The team interviewed 23 clients and 11 caregivers.

The research found empirical evidence that shows it is a safe and effective treatment service model.

"By enabling detoxification in clients’ own homes, the program addresses barriers associated with traditional facility-based services. This approach serves as a model for adapting substance use treatment in ways that incorporate elements of recovery capital, including cultural identity and family support," reads the conclusion of the report.

The research found that 90 per cent of clients interviewed felt that the program met their expectations. Somers and his recently presented the findings at a conference and plan to publish it in a journal.

Free program comes at a cost

The program is free for those in it, but "when we calculate it at an average of 10 clients that we serve per day, it works out to be about $305 per person per day" to run the program, he said. Fraser Health would not confirm how much it would cost for an ER visit for detoxing. 

 Arao and his team have scaled down the program and got a grant covering a third of the costs, but they still need $550,000 per year to operate. 

Health Canada and Fraser Health Authority both told Arao they have no funding currently available for the program.

During the mayor's report at , Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke called on the province and Fraser Health to allocate funding to keep this program going.

"This program plays a really crucial role in Surrey, where stigma surrounding substance use disorders often prevents individuals from seeking traditional support services," Locke said. "The need for accessible and culturally relevant detox options cannot be overstated."

"This support is an essential component of the network of health services that individuals in Surrey with substance use challenges so desperately need," Locke said. "Research conducted by SFU highlighted the effectiveness of this approach and demonstrated the significance of this management program."

The Surrey Now-Leader reached out to the Ministry of Health but did not receive a comment by press time. The story will be updated if they respond. 

Arao is now looking to partner with other non-profits and private donors who want to help keep the program going. 

To learn more about the program or to donate visit .