In 1979, a group of volunteers worried about the lack of services for persons suffering from alcohol problems, took the necessary steps to establish a residential treatment service in Hearst.

The founder members are Raymond Alary, Jean-Pierre Bergevin Janine Bourdon, Betty-Ann Côté, René Fontaine, Dolorès Gosselin, Raymond Lafleur, Suzanne Leblanc, Dr. Bertrand Proulx and Colette Wrinn. Elphège Roussel was hired as coordinator for the project which got under way in 1980. 

Maison Renaissance officially opened on February 15, 1982. In 1990, after eight years of welcoming clients from all over the province of Ontario, most of them males, Maison Renaissance joined forces with the Foyer de l'Assomption, a residential treatment center for francophone women. The two centers amalgamated their services under one roof with the construction of a new center. 

On January 10, 1991, the center opened its doors to their first clients by offering a 28-day residential program for men and women with substance use problems.

In 1994, in order to better meet the needs of their clients, the 28-day program was modified to accept admissions every two weeks. That change also made it possible for Maison Renaissance to offer, at different intervals during the year, a two week relapse prevention program for clients who had already completed the 28-day program.

In January 1997, the 28-day program was modified again, this time by reducing the number of days to 21. This change allowed admissions to be accepted weekly.

In 1998, Maison Renaissance added a residential family program for family members and in 2003, a community day and evening program was also added.

Maison Renaissance strives to improve the delivery of services to the francophone population of Ontario by following the best practices guidelines from the ministry of Health.

We congratulate the members of the first board of directors. Their dream has surely been realized beyond their expectations. We believe that Maison Renaissance will continue to grow and strive for many years to come.