Our History

The first Oxford House in Canada was opened in Calgary in 1995 as a house for women, with three more houses for men
to follow in 1996 and 1997.

In 2010, Oxford now has 24 houses in Calgary with 5 for women and 3 for Aboriginals. In Edmonton, there are now  
6 houses for men and 2 houses for women . Each Oxford House accommodates 3 to 5 recovering individuals and is fully furnished

The Oxford Houses are based on a successful model developed in the United States in 1975. The first Oxford House was established in Silver Spring, Maryland. The house was originally a county government halfway house that was being closed. Faced with eviction, the men who were in the house decided to rent and run the house themselves. After days of discussion, an organizational plan began to take place. Using what they had learned from their experiences in halfway houses, the concept of Oxford House was born. In 2010, there are now over 1500 houses in the United States.

In May of 1994, a group of individuals interested in the unique concept of Oxford House began discussions on how to bring this "revolution in recovery" to Alberta. A volunteer Board of Directors was formed, whose members' backgrounds ranged from the oil and gas industry to the addictions field. Oxford House Foundation of Canada was incorporated under the Societies Act of Alberta in February 1995, and obtained its charitable status in October 1997.