Two years after Matthew Perry’s unexpected passing, his sister Caitlin Morrison still feels his presence woven into her daily routine.
“I feel him around a lot and I can hear the things that he would say in response to the things that are going on as if he’s actually here saying them. Maybe he is. I don’t know. Who knows? Maybe ghosts are real,” she says with a soft laugh, before slipping into a Chandler Bing-style remark: “We’ll make some pottery together.”
In the aftermath of the “Friends” star’s accidental death from a ketamine overdose at 54, Morrison turned her grief into purpose by founding the Matthew Perry House in their hometown of Ottawa.
The nonprofit’s mission is to reduce the social and economic toll of addiction through funding new research and providing long-term, post-treatment support for those battling substance use disorders.
“I’ve had this whole career in nonprofits and charities,” Morrison explains. “It was a very natural thing for my mind to do after he died – to try to work what I knew how to do into bringing some kind of meaning and purpose to this horrible, horrible thing that shouldn’t have happened.”
The organization’s first facility is being developed in Ottawa, with plans to expand to other cities across Canada.
This flagship center will be part of a larger community hub, ensuring that even those not in residential treatment can access health care, mental health services, career guidance, financial planning, and family therapy – all aimed at rebuilding lives and relationships damaged by addiction.
As she immersed herself in studying substance abuse, Morrison uncovered a crucial insight into the nature of relapse. “Everybody said, ‘We can get help for a month. If we’re lucky, three to six months.’ And that’s wonderful, but it’s not enough,” she says. “The brain takes more time than that to heal.”
She highlights a striking statistic: while 85% of people relapse within a year of treatment, after three years that number reverses – 85% remain in recovery for life.
That understanding became the foundation of the Matthew Perry House model. “Nobody is ever asked to walk out the door until they feel they have everything they need,” Morrison says.
“The average stay will be about three years.” The Ottawa facility will offer health services, trauma therapy, art and music programs, career counseling, and family support. “It’s like, let’s make every piece of your life as wonderful as humanly possible.”
While separate from the Matthew Perry Foundation – an L.A.-based nonprofit led by Perry’s longtime publicist, Lisa Kasteller – Morrison’s organization shares a complementary mission. The Foundation recently hosted its own addiction and recovery summit, “Breaking Barriers & Building Pathways for Change,” at CAA in September.
Morrison emphasizes the distinction between their efforts: “My brother’s foundation in the U.S. is doing important long-term work, but we’re building something that’s going to help people immediately – and I think we’re going to change the face of what treatment looks like for everyone.”
She also reaches out to the entertainment community that once served as her brother’s extended family. “To any Hollywood people who might be listening: if this is an area of interest for you, the Matthew Perry House is the place to support. I feel like I can ethically say that because I don’t actually get paid.”
As October 28 – the anniversary of Perry’s death – comes around each year, Morrison tries to balance remembrance with resilience. “It’s just always going to be a day with a little bit of darkness on it,” she says.
“But maybe that’s wrong – because on his birthday this year, I realized I was actually more OK that day than usual. Those days like October 28th don’t actually make it harder. They’re the days where it’s allowed to be really hard. They’re permission to cry publicly in an embarrassing way.”
And, true to her brother’s legacy, she never loses her sense of humor. “The defensive mechanism funny answer is he ruined Halloween for me, so thanks,” she jokes. “The serious answer is, it’s just a day with a little bit of a darkness on it.”