Fresh Start Recovery

What Fresh Start Recovery does

Fresh Start Recovery Centre is a registered Canadian nonprofit charitable organization (#136720737RR0001) founded in 1992 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, that operates a multi-facility addiction treatment system for adults. The organization runs three residential facilities — a 50-bed men's treatment centre in Calgary, a 23-bed co-ed centre in Lethbridge (South Country Treatment Centre, acquired 2021), and a 50-bed Lethbridge Recovery Community opened in 2024 in partnership with the Government of Alberta — bringing total residential capacity to 123 treatment beds. Its core technology is an evidence-based biopsychosocial-spiritual treatment model that integrates 12-step programming, trauma-informed care, individualized plans across 12 life areas, peer support, and the Recovery Capital Framework, achieving an 80% program completion rate and 53% one-year continuous abstinence rate across cohorts.

Complementing residential treatment, Fresh Start provides a full continuum of care including recovery-oriented housing (57-123 beds in 2023-2024, with 66 additional beds added in 2024 via Calgary Homeless Foundation), outreach services (weekly alumni check-ins, life-skills coaching, relapse prevention), a Day Program for clients with safe home environments, and the Friends and Family: Coming Together program for loved ones. Clinical and operational depth is reinforced by Accreditation Canada Exemplary Standing (2025), MHSPA licensure, certifications including Registered Social Workers and Canadian Certified Addiction Counsellors via CACCF, and ongoing oversight by Alberta Health Services.

Revenue is generated through a mixed funding model: Alberta Health Care coverage makes treatment free for eligible Albertans; the Government of Alberta underwrites the Lethbridge Recovery Community; tax-deductible donations are solicited via the Together - Without End campaign and direct portal; out-of-province and non-covered clients pay at cost via the Director of Finance; and family programs run on a sliding-scale fee. Program costs were $6.066M CAD in 2023, with administrative overhead at 14.3% of spending and fundraising costs at 3.5%, with the organization recognized since 2007 as a Charity Intelligence Top 10 Canadian Impact Charity.

Name

Fresh Start Recovery

Legal name

Fresh Start Recovery Centre

Website

https://freshstartrecovery.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fresh Start Recovery Centre is a Calgary-based nonprofit founded in 1992 operating 123 residential addiction treatment beds across Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta, delivering a 90-day evidence-based biopsychosocial-spiritual program with recovery housing, alumni outreach, and family support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Treatment Services: Treatment services covered by Alberta Health Care for eligible Albertans. The Lethbridge Recovery Community operates in partnership with Government of Alberta providing live-in care at no cost to Albertans.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations through the Together - Without End campaign and direct donation portal. Charity #136720737RR0001. Also accepts marketable securities donations.
3. Out-of-Province and Non-Covered Treatment: Treatment at cost for individuals without Alberta Health Care coverage or from out of province, with funding options explored through Director of Finance
4. Family and Friends Program Fees: Family support program runs two evenings per week for four weeks with a sliding scale fee available to ensure accessibility
5. Day Program: At-cost day program offering same comprehensive treatment content as live-in program with flexibility to return home after dinner each evening

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fresh Start Recovery provides live-in, 90-day addiction treatment using a biopsychosocial-spiritual and 12-step model across Calgary and Lethbridge facilities (123 treatment beds total). Surrounding the residential program are recovery-oriented housing, post-treatment outreach, the Family and Friends Coming Together series, a Day Program alternative, and a lifelong Alumni program, forming a full continuum from intake through long-term recovery.

Product overview

Fresh Start Recovery operates a comprehensive, multi-facility addiction recovery system offering a continuum of care that spans treatment, housing, outreach, and family support. The core offering is a 90-day live-in Treatment Program (offered at the Calgary Men's Facility and Lethbridge Co-Ed Facility) that combines 12-step work with client-centered and biopsychosocial-spiritual approaches. This is complemented by the Lethbridge Recovery Community, a government-partnered 50-bed facility operating under Alberta's Recovery Model. Beyond residential treatment, the organization provides Recovery-Oriented Housing in both Calgary and Lethbridge, Outreach Services for ongoing alumni support, and the Friends and Family: Coming Together Program for family healing. A Day Program is available as an alternative for those unable to attend residential treatment. Together, these programs form a complete pathway from initial treatment through long-term recovery and family reunification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends and Family: Coming Together: A supportive, structured program designed to help individuals impacted by a loved one's substance use, offering education, healing, and peer connection for families and friends of those in recovery.
• Lethbridge Recovery Community

Products and services

• 90-Day Residential Treatment Program A 90-day live-in addiction treatment program combining 12-step work with a client-centered, biopsychosocial-spiritual model, including individual counseling, group therapy, daily meditation, and fitness activities; offered to adult Albertans (and select out-of-province clients), free of charge for those with Alberta Health Care coverage.
• Friends and Family: Coming Together Program A four-week family education and peer-support program running two evenings per week, helping family members and friends of people with addiction understand the disease, set healthy boundaries, practice self-care, and connect with peers; sliding-scale fee ensures accessibility.
• Outreach Services Community-based post-treatment outreach for alumni featuring weekly check-ins, life-skills coaching, relapse-prevention support, alumni meetings, and assistance with employment, education, mental health, and community reintegration.
• Recovery-Oriented Housing Post-treatment, substance-free housing in Calgary and Lethbridge overseen by Outreach Peer Support Workers, providing safe accommodation plus case management for employment, education, mental health, and community reintegration.
• Day Program An at-cost non-residential alternative delivering the same comprehensive treatment content as the 90-day residential program, allowing clients to return home each evening after dinner.
• Lethbridge Recovery Community A 50-bed live-in recovery community operated in partnership with the Government of Alberta as part of Alberta's Recovery Model, providing free care for Albertans through a four-phase program: Orientation, Primary Treatment, Community Living, and Transition and Continuing Care.
• Alumni Program A lifelong community support network for program graduates featuring weekly alumni meetings, peer mentorship opportunities, and ongoing recovery community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% group completion rate for treatment program
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Government of AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with Government of Alberta for the Lethbridge Recovery Community providing 50-bed live-in addiction recovery care at no cost for Albertans as part of Alberta's Recovery Model. Also includes 2024 opening of 50-bed recovery community through government investment.
• Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with CHF for recovery-oriented housing providing 66 additional beds in 2024, more than doubling housing capacity to support individuals transitioning from treatment to independent living.
• Recovery AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecovery Alberta operates addiction and mental health helplines as a 24/7 confidential service providing support, information, and referrals to Albertans. Partnership supports continuum of care coordination.
• Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoRE ensures Alberta leads in developing data-driven policies and best practices for mental health and addiction recovery. Partnership supports evidence-based treatment approaches.
• Alberta Health Services (AHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHS conducts regular reviews of Fresh Start Recovery's programs and reports. Partnership ensures alignment with provincial healthcare standards and referral pathways.
• Grover Law FirmflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting Sponsor of the 18th Annual 12-Stop Ride for Recovery, the organization's largest annual fundraising event raising awareness and funds for addiction recovery programs.
• Calgary Harley-DavidsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity Champion sponsor for the 12th Annual 12-Stop Ride for Recovery, supporting the motorcycle rally event.
• Cochrane ToyotaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity Champion sponsor for the 12th Annual 12-Stop Ride for Recovery, supporting the motorcycle rally event.
• Mettle Industrial ServicesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting sponsor providing $500 prepaid VISA card for 50/50 Early Bird draw at the 12-Stop Ride for Recovery event.
• YourAlberta (Government of Alberta)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity Champion sponsor for the 12th Annual 12-Stop Ride for Recovery under the Alberta Recovery Model.
• Aakom-kiyii Health ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Indigenous health services and cultural competency in recovery programs, including board member Harley Crowshoe's part-time work guiding their accreditation journey.

Scale indicators24 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Edgewood Health Network: One of Canada's largest private networks of addiction and mental health treatment facilities, offering residential and outpatient programs. Directly comparable to Fresh Start as a multi-site Canadian residential SUD provider serving similar patient populations.
• Homewood Health Centre: Residential and outpatient mental health and addiction treatment provider based in Ontario with national reach. Closely comparable operating model — live-in treatment, evidence-based programming, accreditation, and post-treatment support.
• Bellwood Health Services: Toronto-based residential addiction treatment center offering 90-day programs, family programs, and continuing care. Highly comparable service mix, program duration, and Canadian residential SUD positioning.
• Sunshine Coast Health Center: British Columbia-based residential addiction treatment facility offering long-term live-in programs for men. Comparable in program structure, duration, and trauma-informed approach to Fresh Start's men's residential track.

Regional players

• Ranchlands Recovery: Calgary-based addiction and mental health treatment provider offering residential programs in Alberta. Regional direct competitor operating in the same city with overlapping referral sources and payer mix.
• The Newly Institute: Calgary-headquartered mental health, trauma, and addiction treatment provider with residential and intensive outpatient programming. Regional peer with overlapping Alberta patient base and outcome-driven model.
• Inn From the Cold: Calgary-based family-focused emergency shelter and housing organization. Regionally comparable nonprofit addressing housing instability and family support, overlapping with Fresh Start's housing and family program streams.

Broad incumbents

• Alberta Health Services — Addiction & Mental Health: Provincial health authority operating the public addiction and mental health system, including Recovery Alberta. Acts as both a partner and broader incumbent competitor for publicly-funded residential and outpatient SUD treatment in Alberta.

Emerging players

• PHS Community Services Society: Vancouver-based nonprofit providing housing, harm reduction, and recovery-oriented services. Comparable nonprofit operating model integrating treatment, housing, and community support for vulnerable populations.

Others

• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA): National nonprofit providing evidence-based guidance, policy, and research on substance use in Canada. Adjacent ecosystem participant shaping the standards and funding environment in which Fresh Start operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FreshStartRC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@freshstartrecoverycentre
• Facebookfacebook.com/FreshStartRecovery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fresh-start-recovery-centres
• Instagraminstagram.com/freshstartrecoverycentre
• TikToktiktok.com/@freshstartrecoverycentre

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fresh Start Recovery