The Tijuana city government launched the “Rescate y Vida Nueva” program on April 28, allocating 7.2 million pesos (roughly $360,000 USD) to fund 300 addiction rehabilitation scholarships. The program targets residents struggling with substance abuse in the Zona Centro and surrounding neighborhoods.
Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz announced the initiative in coordination with Jireh Centro de Rehabilitación “El Señor Proveerá,” the nonprofit better known as Patrulla Espiritual. Each scholarship covers 8,000 pesos (about $400 USD) per month in treatment costs.
Three-Month Program With Possible Extension
Pedro Alejandro Montejo Peterson, head of Tijuana’s Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico (Economic Development Department), said the project was approved on March 20, 2026. The initial phase runs three months, with the possibility of an extension depending on results.
Funding comes from the Fondos Tijuana trust, a municipal fund that finances public interest projects. Montejo Peterson said the strategy is designed to support nonprofit organizations focused on rehabilitation, social reintegration, and helping people living on the streets.
Faith-Based Partner Runs the Treatment
Jesús Ignacio Osuna Torres, known as “El Chiquilín,” founded Patrulla Espiritual and leads its operations. Osuna Torres noted that private psychiatric care in Tijuana can cost up to 80,000 pesos ($4,000 USD) per month, particularly for patients with conditions like schizophrenia linked to substance use. The city-funded scholarships aim to make treatment accessible to people who could never afford those rates.
Montejo Peterson called on other rehabilitation nonprofits to work with the government rather than view it as an adversary. He urged organizations to follow proper protocols, maintain required permits, and operate according to established guidelines.
Tijuana’s Ongoing Addiction Crisis
Tijuana has long faced a severe addiction crisis driven in part by its position as a major border city. Deportees returned from the United States often end up in the Zona Centro with no resources, and the availability of cheap synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine has deepened the problem. Hundreds of people live on the streets in the canal areas and downtown corridors east of the border crossing.
The program represents one of the larger municipal investments in addiction treatment in recent years for the city of roughly two million residents.
This story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana and El Imparcial.