To conclude our Faces of the Ranch series, we introduce you to a father who has the courage to share his story – giving hope to parents who may feel misguided or uncertain about recovery programs.

Nathan Laurin, originally from Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan, battled addiction and was in and out of his daughter’s life for her first several years. In 2019, Nathan committed to a better path forward and entered a sober living facility in Saskatoon, relocating to be closer to his daughter, who was living with relatives at the time.

While in sober living, Nathan gained the skills and confidence to reintegrate into society – securing a job at a moving company and reconnecting with his daughter during brief, supervised visits.

Three years into sobriety and still working to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, an incident occurred that required her to be relocated from the home.

At the time, Nathan was still in sober living. He contacted the Ministry to explore his options; one was placing his daughter in a temporary group home until he could secure independent living and the other was to enter Ranch Ehrlo’s “one of a kind” family program.

“I said I’ll do whatever I have to for my little girl, so our names were added to the waitlist, an opening came up, and now we are here,” he explained.

Nathan and his daughter were welcomed into Ranch Ehrlo’s Family Treatment Program (FTP) in 2024, at the same time he was granted full custody. Apprehensive about what the organization had to offer and initially standoffish with staff, it took time for Nathan to understand and accept the help being offered.

When he first arrived, Nathan was anxious and guarded, but over time staff gained his trust. He also connected with other fathers and families in the program, seeing firsthand the progress they were making and the support they were receiving.

“I started trusting the program and the staff. I started opening up and the people here at Ranch Ehrlo went at my pace and eventually everything worked out,” said Nathan.

The transition to a new community and living environment was difficult at first, but the pair were connected with professionals and resources to help navigate the challenges. Nathan’s daughter received assessments, diagnoses, and educational support, while Nathan was provided guidance as he learned to transition from being a single individual to an active, full-time father.

“When I came into this program, it was a very simple, closed-off life that I lived. I was very careful who I surrounded myself with because I was scared to be influenced. So, coming here and being so open to everything, learning how to deal with living the day to day and working through problems instead of running and hiding from them is something I’m very proud of. It has made me stronger.”

Nathan has moved from his very small world before and immediately following addictions to building a community and a network of care for himself and his daughter. Empowered by the staff, encouraged by fellow parents in the program, and motivated by deep love and care, Nathan is creating a brighter future for himself and his daughter.

“The support is here. They want nothing but for us to be healthy and successful,” he said of program staff.  

“It is the belief of Ranch Ehrlo Society that most parents want to be positive influences on their children, but personal issues and systemic problems have created a need for their children to receive treatment,” Dr. Geoff Pawson shared in his book, Go Forward. “To help all parties understand the reasons for difficulties, the Ranch has designed a family program that encompasses three levels of intervention: education, counselling, and therapy.”  

The FTP will mark its 20^th anniversary later this year. The program aims to improve family safety, family functioning, and child wellbeing so families can remain together. The program provides services to the whole family to assist families to safely care for their children and prevent out-of-home care, or to assist families to reunite after having a child in care.