Matthew Perry’s Sister Reflects on Family’s Mission to Help Addicts Following Actor’s Death

Caitlin Morrison is launching residential recovery facility the Matthew Perry House in Ottawa in her brother’s honor.

Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Matthew Perry’s family and close friends are making strides in their mission to support recovering addicts two years after the late actor died from a ketamine overdose at the age of 54.

Perry’s sister, Caitlin Morrison, launched the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada in October 2024, which marked the first anniversary of the “Friends” star’s death.

Rebranded as the Matthew Perry House, the organization is now set to open a supportive recovery community in Ottawa—where the actor grew up—offering long-term housing and personalized care to people recovering from substance use disorders.

In an Oct. 28 interview with Variety, Morrison said she was able to channel her grief after Perry’s death by transforming her pain into purpose.

“I’ve had this whole career in nonprofits and charities,” she told the publication. “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 Matthew Perry House will be built on the grounds of The Royal, a leading mental health center in Ottawa.

The project is being made in collaboration with a variety of charities, including Ottawa Community Housing, Ottawa Salus, CAPSA, and Rideauwood, with construction expected to begin Spring 2026.

Once complete, the facility will feature more than 150 homes across several buildings, in addition to a dedicated programming space. On-site healthcare and counseling services will also be provided.

“This transformative project will provide individuals on their journey to wellness with a safe, stable environment and wraparound services—offering a vital foundation for healing, hope, and renewal in Ottawa and beyond,” a March 4 press release reads.

(L-R): Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, and David Schwimmer pose with their award at the 26th People's Choice Awards in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2000. Lucy Nicholson/AFP via Getty Images

Speaking to Variety, Morrison noted that 85 percent of people battling addiction relapse within the first year of treatment, which corresponds to a 2011 study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Current Psychiatry Reports. However, after spending three years in recovery, the likelihood of relapse decreases to less than 10 percent, Resurgence Behavioral Health reports.

For this reason, Morrison said the average stay of residents living at the Matthew Perry House will be about three years.

“Nobody is ever asked to walk out the door until they feel they have everything they need,” she said, adding that the facility aims to “make every piece of [each resident’s] life as wonderful as humanly possible.”

Matthew Perry House plans to open similar facilities in other cities across Canada.

“I know there are people who need a place like this,” Morrison said. “I know it will give them the long-term support they deserve to help them build a more extraordinary life. Knowing that makes me happy and hopeful. But selfishly, what fills my heart the most is knowing that Matthew’s name will be part of something so deeply meaningful in the city he always called home.”