Oxford House Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation have announced 25 new units across five homes in Saskatoon are now available to those recovering from addictions.

The five new homes build on the Oxford House program’s five homes in Regina that have been available for the last 10 years.

Executive Director of Oxford House Saskatchewan says this will provide flexibility with those seeking housing arrangement elsewhere.

“This is one really nice thing about the expansion is that we have plenty of people who are like, all my negative influences are in Regina, I’d really like to be in Saskatoon and vice versa.”

The new homes in Saskatoon are located in the Mayfair, Lawson Heights, Massey Place, Silverwood and River Heights neighbourhoods. Soloway hopes they’ll be able to expand the Oxford House program even further in the future with homes in other cities including Prince Albert and North Battleford.

Soloway says they’re constantly getting referrals from a variety of different organizations with people continuously applying for housing through the program. The executive director says Oxford House allows people exiting a 28-day treatment program to re-enter back into their home communities and to get out of an environment that they experienced in the past.

It’s costs $635 dollars a month for individuals staying at one of the Oxford House homes. Soloway says residents put down a $100 sobriety deposit when they move in and they receive that deposit back when they move out.

The province provided OHS with $825,000 dollars to develop the 25 new units. Federal funding was also provided for the Saskatoon expansion.

Currently four of the five new homes in Saskatoon are occupied with the goal of getting residents into the fifth home by the end of the month once renovations are complete.