New Summit House aims to expand addiction supports in Grande Prairie
Rising Above’s Summit House officially opened in Grande Prairie on Saturday, offering expanded residential space for men seeking treatment for substance use. The organisation’s executive director, Adele‑Marie Diffey, said the new facility brings the number of male beds to 36, up from the 19 currently available.
The ribbon‑cutting drew local officials and supporters, including Grande Prairie MP Chris Warkentin, Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck, and Rising Above founder and president Mel Siggelkow. The event marked the completion of months of work to ready the building for resident intake.
“We have a facility right now that has 19 beds for men. Then men will be moving over to this building, we’ll be almost doubling our reach for the need. And then we’ll be moving our women who are in the houses in the community into our original building.”
Diffey, who has been with Rising Above for less than a year, described the move as a rapid but necessary expansion to meet demand across northern Alberta. She said the organisation expects the new beds to be filled quickly given the prevalence of addiction and the limited number of treatment spaces in the region.
What the expansion changes on the ground
The opening of Summit House will allow Rising Above to concentrate men requiring residential care into the larger new facility while shifting women from scattered community houses back into the organisation’s original building. That consolidation is intended to streamline operations, allow staff to focus programming by gender, and improve continuity of care.
- Male beds before opening: 19
- Male beds after opening: 36
- Organisational change: Women moved into the original Rising Above building
At the ribbon‑cutting, staff and guests spoke to the urgent need for treatment capacity. Diffey said many families in the region were being affected by addiction and that additional beds were essential to prevent further destruction of homes and relationships.
While the ceremony celebrated a tangible step forward, Rising Above leaders acknowledge that the facility alone will not resolve broader systemic pressures such as housing shortages, mental health resources, and long wait times for other supports. The new capacity focuses on residential treatment and represents one component in a patchwork of local services.
Numbers and next steps
Rising Above’s move increases its male residential capacity by approximately 90 per cent relative to the previous 19 beds, providing space for 36 men in the new Summit House. Staff said the organisation will continue intake planning and expects men to begin moving into the new building in the coming weeks.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Male residential beds | 19 | 36 |
| Women’s housing | Houses in community | Original Rising Above building |
Officials at the event did not provide a timetable for full occupancy or specific intake numbers beyond overall capacity, but Diffey warned that the demand for beds in northern Alberta is substantial and ongoing.
Community reaction at the ribbon‑cutting was described as enthusiastic; staff, board members and supporters attended to mark the milestone. The expansion is a local example of how grassroots organisations are attempting to catch up with rising service needs in a region where provincial and municipal services are stretched.
Summit House’s opening complements other health and social initiatives in Grande Prairie but also underscores the broader policy choices facing the city and the province: how to scale addiction treatment, ensure stable housing for people in recovery, and coordinate services so that new capacity translates into long‑term outcomes.
Rising Above leaders said they will continue planning around client intake and service delivery to ensure the new space is used efficiently. For residents and families dealing with addiction, the additional beds represent an immediate increase in local treatment options.
