Onsite

Located upstairs from Insite is Onsite, which offers a direct continuum of care for those wanting a treatment option. Like Insite, Onsite is a program co-managed by the PHS Community Services Society and Vancouver Coastal Health.

Built on the principles of harm reduction, Onsite is a space for medically supported withdrawal management that provides services that include a wide range of recovery-oriented programs along with health and housing supports. Because Onsite primarily transitions people from Insite it is successful at reaching people at the moment they decide to make a change and works with them to assist in the intake process.

Onsite serves over 400 people a year with an interdisciplinary team that includes mental health workers, nurses, social workers and physicians.

Functionally, the program is divided into two levels: a 12-unit withdrawal management floor and an 18-unit transitional housing floor where ongoing recovery support is provided post-withdrawal management. All residents at Onsite have their own room, and all detox rooms have complete washrooms – an important design criterion that makes it possible to “detox with dignity.”

A minimum of four primary programs are offered each day, focused on physical withdrawal management support, physical healing, Indigenous cultural wellness, recovery, skills building and overall relationship building.

Onsite connects residents with permanent housing, physicians, mental health professionals, substance use treatment programs and other external programs.

We also operate Offsite, a dedicated facility that provides supported housing for people leaving Onsite who would otherwise be precariously housed. It was created in recognition that the housing crisis is a significant barrier to long-term recovery.