Cancún Addiction Shelter Nears Opening, Will Offer Treatment for 50

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A new shelter designed to provide addiction treatment and housing for up to 50 people is in its final stages of preparation and is expected to open in Cancún before the end of March, officials announced.

The Para Transformar Vidas shelter, located in Supermanzana 228, will offer specialized treatment for addiction alongside basic shelter services. Alberto Ortuño Báez, director of the Municipal Institute Against Addictions (IMCA), confirmed that the facility is being equipped with necessary furniture and is on track to begin operations this month.

The shelter will include medical consultation rooms, psychology areas, a dining hall, a kitchen, and dormitories with bunk beds. Beyond providing a roof, the program aims to support social reintegration through recreational activities and professional follow-up. However, officials emphasized that participation must be voluntary.

“The admission we handle has to be voluntary,” Ortuño Báez said. “That’s why we often get reports, but we cannot intervene if they don’t want help. If the person accepts assistance, we refer them; if not, it’s outside our jurisdiction, as the institute does not have the authority to make that decision for them.”

The director acknowledged that while it is painful to see citizens living in vulnerable conditions—such as those sleeping on mattresses in public spaces or improvising shelters in trees along Avenida 20 de Noviembre—the IMCA must adhere to legal frameworks that protect individuals’ right to choose, even when they suffer from illness.

He also clarified that the institute’s responsibility is limited to care and referral, noting that it does not oversee or sanction private rehabilitation clinics, a task that falls strictly to other regulatory authorities.

Despite these operational challenges, the municipal government is betting on this intervention model to combat addiction by providing basic services and therapy. The shelter aims not only to offer refuge but to give a “second chance” to those who decide on their own to break cycles of marginalization and violence and regain control of their lives.