One Life Recovery Needs Community Support After Devastating Fire

When Brett Johnson founded One Life Recovery, he knew firsthand the challenges faced by men seeking recovery from addiction and mental health struggles. Having experienced homelessness himself, Brett witnessed the harsh realities of inadequate treatment facilities—places where residents continued using drugs and where rats ran through the halls. These experiences sparked a vision: to create something better, "a more equality approach for men entering into recovery."

That vision was born from his own journey of transformation. After moving to Nanaimo, Brett found healing through a weekly men's group that became his lifeline. "That community and connection really kept me clean and in recovery," he reflects. "We were a lot stronger together than any of us on our own." This experience became the foundation for One Life's approach, built on the power of peer support and the simple yet profound goal to "be better than we were yesterday."

Starting with nothing but determination, Brett worked in oil and gas camps up North and later in mining to save money. In 2016, he purchased his first duplex property with a business partner, working on plans during his camp shifts, envisioning what programming would look like. By 2020, he had bought out his partner's half, and in 2023, they acquired their third property. Each step was, in his words, "a financial balancing act the whole way through."

Now, One Life Recovery Society faces its greatest challenge yet. On January 18th, 2025, a devastating fire struck one of their recovery homes, displacing residents and destroying personal belongings. While the building itself is insured, the contents are not, and the organization faces a staggering $15,000 monthly loss in operating margins.

How You Can Help

The immediate needs are clear and urgent:

• Financial donations through their registered charity: https://one-life.ca/donation/
• Household essentials: furniture, bedding, towels, blankets, pillows, shower curtains, tea towels
• Gift cards for food and immediate necessities

For donations of goods or to coordinate drop-offs, contact Stephanie Penner at 204.298.3226 or [email protected]

The Heart of Recovery

Even in this crisis, Brett's commitment to the recovery community shines through. The Sunday morning after the fire, he sat with about twenty men in their group session. "They're all emotional about how much they love this place, saying they are exactly where they're meant to be even after some of this hard stuff," Brett shares, his voice full of emotion. "They're all supporting each other. It just fills up my whole life... I don't know how I'm going to get through the next week, but when I see stuff like that, it carries me through to the next day."

We at HiBoop are honored to be working with One Life Recovery Society as part of our pilot program. Brett's vision aligns perfectly with our mission to increase mental health care accessibility. As Brett notes, "HiBoop has the ability to drastically revolutionize the mental health world and to expedite access for people to get the help they need. When we're dealing with everybody from emergency rooms and hospitals to doctors and walk-in clinics, it's just a nightmare... giving autonomy to individuals to be able to walk in with some evidence-based information will really speed up the process."

In a world that can seem full of darkness, Brett sees light: "To look around and to see the beauty in the struggle is so important in life... there's a lot of people that still care and want that sense of community in their world." His final message resonates deeply: "Love is the only thing that's going to heal us all."

Please consider donating today and sharing this story with your network. Together, we can help One Life Recovery Society rise from the ashes stronger than ever.