New initiative for people with addictions in Ottawa

OTTAWA – A unique housing project for people with substance-use disorders will be coming to Ottawa, bearing the name of late actor Matthew Perry (pictured). Matthew Perry House will provide housing, therapy and other services to people who have completed initial addiction treatment, but still need long-term support in their recovery.

Perry, who attended high school in Ottawa, died in 2023 in Los Angeles after struggling with addiction for years.

Caitlin Morrison, Perry’s sister and executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, told the Ottawa Citizen that years before her brother’s death, Perry had lamented his frustrations with traditional addiction treatment programs.

“He had a feeling that they were a money-making racket, didn’t do much for people,” she said. “We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if there were something better?’”

According to the foundation, the Matthew Perry House would offer a “comprehensive range of support services” to roughly 160 people going through the recovery process. Residents would already have completed a treatment program by the time they arrive.

If all goes according to plan with the approval process, construction will begin in the spring of 2026.

While traditional treatment centres offer short stays of up to a few months, Matthew Perry House will offer years-long or even permanent housing.

“Whatever people need to feel like they’ve truly reached a place to say, ‘I feel like I am on solid footing in recovery now,’” Morrison said.

The project is a collaboration between the Matthew Perry Foundation, The Royal, Salus Ottawa, Ottawa Community Housing, CAPSA Canada, Rideauwood, Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, and Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition.

Cara Vaccarino, president and CEO of The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, said someone with substance use disorder was most vulnerable to relapse after they completed their initial detox and treatment, which lasts for 30, 60 or 90 days.

“The main reason why is because they lack the support needed in the community to keep them well,” Vaccarino said. “Supports like income security, housing security, food security.”

Matthew Perry House will provide services that don’t currently exist in Ottawa, she said. Along with 160-170 housing units, it will also offer counselling services, job training, family support and more.

“It’s really about providing social determinants of health to help people stay well in community,” said Vaccarino.

The housing units will be big enough for couples or small families and programming will include supports specifically for women with substance use disorder. Men and women alike have the same prevalence of addiction, but men are more likely to get treatment, Vaccarino said, because childcare is a “very serious barrier” for women to get the help they need.

“I think the brilliance of this is building homes in community with the supports necessary,” Vaccarino said, “and, being adjacent to the Royal, if folks get in trouble, they have somewhere to go right next door.”