City staff are recommending that a proposed Christian, abstinence-based supportive housing operation on Pinewood Avenue be denied a temporary use permit at the Monday, Feb. 24 city council meeting.
Richard and Angie Korkowski of Set Free Recovery are looking for a temporary use permit to operate “supportive housing and services for men struggling with substance abuse” at 3809 Pinewood Ave., in an area zoned RT1: two-unit residential.
A letter to the city from the Korkowskis dated Jan. 21, 2025 says that the couple ran a recovery ministry in the Abbotsford and Chilliwack area for 20 years, including a 50-bed centre in Chilliwack and eight homes in Abbotsdord.
They say they moved to Prince George last October to be closer to their son’s family.
“We feel Prince George would greatly benefit from learning and implementing what we have done in Abbotsford and it would extremely help grapple the addiction crisis, mental health, crime — which is affecting the City of Prince George,” the letter says.
They characterize their goal as “productive recovery,” offering not just shelter but an opportunity for their clients to learn about recovery, triggers, how to prevent relapses, life skills and accountability and get referrals to counselling and other services.
Included with the application is a petition signed by 21 people, including six residents of Pinewood Avenue.
There are also 17 letters of support attached, including two from the same person. Other letters are from people like a clinical councillor with Northern Health, a pastor at Lakewood Alliance Church, a pharmacist in Abbotsford and local residents.
City staff’s report says that the development services department received an application from Set Free for a business license last October but it was rejected as supportive housing is not allowed in RT1 zones.
After that, they applied for the temporary use permit, which if approved, would allow the project to operate for three years and could be renewed once before the applicants must either relocate or apply for a permanent rezoning of the property.
In November, staff say Bylaw Services received a complaint regarding the supportive housing use of the property.
“Representatives of Bylaw Services attended the subject property on November 9, 2024, and spoke with a tenant regarding the ‘Housing, Supportive’ use,” the report says. “The tenant confirmed that renovations for the proposed ‘Housing, Supportive’ use were occurring. Bylaw Officers also confirmed only one resident was living on the subject property.”
The report notes that supportive housing uses have been permitted at four other locations in the city, three in residential zones on 14th Avenue, 17th Avenue and Queensway and another in an integrated health and housing zone on Ontario Street.
However, it also notes that supportive housing is typically located along minor collector and arterial roads, while Set Free wants to operate in an established neighbourhood corner lot bounded by two local road.
RT1 zones allows for “community care facility, minor” land uses for the care of up to six residents in a facility licensed under BC’s Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
“Administration is struggling to support this application due to proposed intensity of operations, that may result in noise, traffic, and parking impacts on the surrounding neighbourhood,” staff’s report says.
During the city’s review of the application, staff reached out to the Ministry of Health’s Assisted Living Registry & Community Care Licensing Branch for comment.
“The Ministry indicated they were not aware of operations at the subject property and will conduct their own investigation,” the city’s report says.
“On Jan. 20, 2025, the ALR determined that Set Free Recovery was operating without registration, in violation of Section 26 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act. The applicant is currently working with the Registry to bring Set Free Recovery into compliance.”
Reached by phone on Friday, Feb. 21, Richard Korkowski said his own addiction started years ago in Prince George while living in apartments on Upland Street.
He said he thinks Prince George was 20 years behind the times when it comes to dealing with the recovery of people dealing with addictions.
“I’d like to help the community to overcome some of the hurdles of addiction that are prevalent everything you go, pretty much,” Korkowski said.
Once people get out of detox, Korkowski said there aren’t any local recovery options, just sober living facilities. When he was in the Fraser Valley, he said people from the Prince George area used to be sent to his old organization, Joshua House Recovery Ministries.
Abbotsford has a specific recovery house land use permit that has a recovery house revert to a residential use once a non-profit is no longer operating it, he said.
In the model he wants to use in Prince George, he said a client starts off in intake for around 30 to 60 days.
Ideally this would eventually be a separate facility somewhere on the outskirts of town, but for now everything would take place at the Pinewood house. While the city’s documents say the house would hold 11 residents and two staff members, Korkowski said 10 residents and one staff member would live on site.
After that, they enter a 30-day reintegration phase where clients get used to rejoining society and are escorted to their various meetings and appointments.
That’s followed up by a developing recovery phase where they get the freedom to attend events on their own. After that, the client chooses whether to continue to stay at the house in 90-day increments.
Korkowski said he’s seen the best success with residents who stay a year or longer. Providing structure and wraparound services are important to set accountability and discipline for those recovery from addiction, he said.
Similar to Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous, Set Free would use the 12-step model.
“Everything we do is based on the beatitudes of Jesus Christ in our program,” he said. “Now you don’t have to be a Christian to come, you just need to be willing to grow along spiritual lines.”
Christian elements of the program include going to church and volunteering both in church and other contexts.
He said most of the residents at Joshua House weren’t Christian but had tried everything else and it hadn’t worked for them.
Using a faith model, he said, has led to greater success. He claimed that secular recovery methods have a success rate of seven to eight per cent while Joshua House had a 28 per cent success rate.
He said an abstinence-only model “brings you into productivity and community,” as well as reducing the isolation that clients’ drug use caused them.
Should a client admit to using drugs while living at the facility, he said they would try to find them somewhere else to go like a shelter or sober living facility, though he would call the police if they became violent.
To begin with, Korkowski said Set Free will only help men but would look to establish a facility for women in future.
“It’s just a Christian stance (that) men minister to men and women minister to women,” he said. “I’m not saying that men can’t have friendships with women, but just like the program says, one addict best helps another. One female addict best helps a female addict as opposed to one male addict helping a female addict.”
If council denies the temporary use permit, Korkowski said he would look to bring his services to one of the other communities who have expressed interest. However, he said he has had good conversations with members of city council ahead of the meeting.
As for the province’s review of the project, Korkowski said the ministry has completed a preliminary inspection is just waiting to hear whether the temporary use permit is granted before making its own decision.
At the Monday, Feb. 24 meeting, council will have the option to approve the TUP, amend it, refuse it or defer a decision. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. on the second floor of Prince George City Hall at 1100 Patricia Blvd.
