Emergency
core program

The CORE (Community Outpatient Recovery Experience)

Crisis support

If there is a life-threatening safety concern, please call 9-1-1 or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.

Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-784-2433

BC Crisis Line: 310-6789

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Indigenous Crisis and Support Line - KUU-US Crisis Support Line: 1-800-588-8717

Harm reduction: Toward the Heart 

The CORE is a community-based substance use recovery program for adults ages 19 and older in Vancouver or Richmond who want to change their relationship with substances. Based on the former Daytox program, the CORE includes more tools and updated ways to support recovery.

The CORE program includes educational and counselling groups, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), relapse prevention, working through anxiety, building life skills, understanding trauma, meditation/mindfulness groups, acupuncture as well as daily morning check-ins. 

There are two streams of CORE: 

  1. Groundwork: A general program that provides the tools and skills for early recovery, relapse prevention, and emotional regulation.
  2. Evolution (coming early 2026): A specialized program for people who require more trauma-focused support. 

Our intake team will help you determine which suits your recovery needs best. Streams are online or in-person. Please check with the intake counsellor for details.

The CORE team includes counsellors, recovery navigators and peer support workers to support you in your recovery journey. The team provides structured support and trauma-informed, culturally safe, and 2LGBTQIA+ inclusive care.

Groundwork

Groundwork is a structured recovery program similar to the former Daytox program. This program provides people with the tools and skills needed for early recovery, relapse prevention, and emotional regulation.

This program is a 12-week community-based program, four to six hours per week. When you complete the full 12 weeks of this program, you will receive a completion certificate.

This program includes:

  • Daily morning check-ins
  • Group therapy and psychoeducation sessions
  • Skill-building workshops (relapse prevention, anxiety management, trauma 101, and mindfulness)
  • Social and recreational activities (alongside our sister program Vancouver Junction)
  • Indigenous cultural programming to support healing through traditional practices
  • Navigation and care coordination to connect with additional resources
  • One-on-one support by either a counselor, peer, or recovery navigator.
  • Shared ceremonies to mark milestones in the recovery journey

Evolution - Coming early 2026

Evolution is a specialized stream of the CORE program for people who need more intensive trauma-focused support alongside substance use recovery.

This program is a six-week program, with six to eight hours of programming per week. When you complete the full six weeks, you will receive a completion certificate.

This program includes:

  • Daily morning check-ins
  • PTSD-focused group therapy, education, and skill building
  • Emotional regulation and coping strategies
  • Individualized trauma recovery planning
  • Navigation and care coordination to connect with additional resources
  • Three individual counseling sessions.
  • Social and recreational activities
  • Indigenous cultural programming to support healing through traditional practices
  • Shared ceremonies to mark milestones in the recovery journey
  • Joint programming with Groundwork and Vancouver Junction participants

How to access

  • Check if this program is right for you

    The CORE provides services for adults 19 years and older living in Vancouver or Richmond.


    Alternative programs for people who are living outside Vancouver or Richmond: 

    Stepping Stones (For those in North Vancouver)

    Adult Day, Evening, Weekend (DEW) Treatment Program (For those in Fraser Health)

  • Call Access Central or visit the clinic

    The CORE is a self-referral service. You must first self-refer and then attend orientation before you can start the program.

    To sign up:

    • Call Access Central at 1-(866)-658-1221
    • Or walk-in to the Robert & Lily Lee Family Community Health Centre to sign up during regular business hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (closed on stat holidays).

    Please note, our EVOLUTION pilot cohorts are full; we will begin taking self-referrals for new cohorts in early 2026.

  • Schedule for CORE participants

    The CORE runs sessions to help you build recovery skills and foster peer connections. If you are signed up for CORE, view the calendar to see this month's schedule. 

    The CORE weekly schedule 

Hours of operation

Open six days a week. See schedule for details.

How to get here

Address: 1669 East Broadway, 3rd Floor, suite 320 Vancouver, BC V5N 1V9

Public transit: Easily accessible via bus routes #20, #9, or #99, with stops at East Broadway and Commercial Drive. The Broadway-Commercial SkyTrain station (Expo or Millennium Line) is also nearby.

Parking: Paid underground parking is available, along with free or paid street parking nearby.

Learn about the location

Robert & Lily Lee Family Community Health Centre

At Robert and Lily Lee Family Community Health Centre, you can get basic health care and learn how to keep yourself healthy. We provide services for people of all ages. The Centre works with community organizations and health care providers, such as your family doctor, to keep people and communities healthy.

Learn about the service

Withdrawal management services (detox)

Withdrawing (detoxing) from substances like drugs or alcohol may need medical support depending on many factors. Many people can successfully withdraw (detox) in an outpatient setting with clinical support. At Vancouver Coastal Health, detox is also called withdrawal management. Withdrawal management is team-based care that includes nurses, doctors, and other health-care workers. Teams provide safe, trauma-informed, confidential, non-judgemental, and culturally safe care.