Project 4 Hope: Recovery Clients Lead Community Cleanup in Owen Sound
Clients from Brightshores' Wellness and Recovery Centre launch PROJECT 4 HOPE with a community cleanup in Owen Sound, promoting recovery, awareness, and connection.
A group of clients from Brightshores Health System’s Wellness and Recovery Centre is helping reshape the narrative around addiction, mental health, and homelessness, one cleanup at a time.
Earlier this month, participants in PROJECT 4 HOPE, a new client-led initiative, held their first public event: a community cleanup in the city’s River District.
The effort made use of the City of Owen Sound’s Community Clean-Up Carts program and brought together individuals in recovery with the broader public, demonstrating shared responsibility and visible engagement.
“Recovery isn’t just about healing—it’s about reconnecting, giving back, and creating spaces for conversation,” said one of the client organizers involved in the event. “By sharing our stories, we hope to help others understand the challenges of mental health and addiction and build a sense of community around recovery.”
PROJECT 4 HOPE was launched as part of an elective program within the 90-day and long-stay recovery streams at the Wellness and Recovery Centre, a facility that has drawn provincial attention for its integrated, client-centred approach.
Participants are encouraged to step into leadership roles, speak openly about their lived experience, and engage in community-facing projects.
According to Brightshores, the project is guided by a mission to reduce stigma and raise awareness, while fostering meaningful connections between clients, service providers, and the wider community. Its stated vision: “A community where individuals affected by addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges are treated with dignity and understanding.”
The initiative has received support from the City of Owen Sound, which provided equipment and materials for the cleanup.
“One in five people will experience a mental health or addiction issue, and we are here to support individuals, families, and communities across Grey Bruce,” said Naomi Vodden, Director of Mental Health & Addiction Services at Brightshores.
The Wellness and Recovery Centre, which opened in June 2024 in a repurposed elementary school, is the first of its kind in Ontario. It offers stable housing alongside comprehensive mental health and addiction treatment under one roof, with wraparound services designed to support clients through all stages of recovery.
PROJECT 4 HOPE reflects the centre’s broader philosophy: that healing is not only personal, but social—and that people in recovery have valuable contributions to make to the communities they are part of.
As the program grows, organizers hope to expand their outreach efforts, continue public-facing events, and deepen partnerships with local residents and businesses.