Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Jul 24/98) - Bruce McPherson first acquired demons at Grollier Hall where he says staff there sexually abused him.

The drinking started when he was 16 years old. "Right off the start there were problems," he said this week as he looked out to the boarded up residential school.

Today, several failed relationships and drunk driving convictions later, the 38-year-old is slightly more than one week into a counselling program at the Turning Point halfway house. He has spent the last five months at a Yellowknife prison.

In the mornings McPherson takes counselling courses. The former heavy-equipment operator will soon be able to work part-time to help save some money for when he is released in January.

A big part of McPherson's treatment is designed to help him resist alcohol. And so far Turning Point seems to have been successful, since he says he no longer craves the drug.

"Work is more important and Turning Point has been a big help," he said.

But that help was almost not to be.

Turning Point closed between May 15 and 25 because it did not have enough money.

The GNWT then upped funding from $88 to $135 per client per day according to interim executive director Dennis Inglangasuk.

There are currently seven people completing court sentences along with seven others who voluntarily come to the centre for help with alcohol and drug problems.

This is many more clients than the centre saw earlier this year, a situation Inglangasuk chalks up to more awareness of the centre's function in the community.

"We have self- improvement programs for alcohol and drug use, anger management and life skills," he said.

Several requirements limit eligibility for admission to the halfway house program.

For example, offenders must be willing to be alcohol and drug free, have shown no threatening or abusive behavior while in jail, be able to function in a group and be willing to participate fully in all group activities.

Further, offenders must prove that they took part in all relevant programs of the correctional centre, have a plan to combat their addiction and be willing to take part in scheduled day programming and evening alcoholics anonymous groups.

"There has been an increase in funding and that along with the increase in use has made the program more viable," said Gary Beattie, department of social services community corrections specialist.

"Before, the per diem, I don't think, was all that high and it really meant that they had to have 12 people in there and that just wasn't the case that there were that many people to go in there."