Hope through heartbreak - Farm and Dairy

Project Hope connects people at risk of dying by drug overdose into the care of Amber Richards, a former heroin user and an expert on recovery. Project Hope has helped hundreds of clients find help, from detox to housing and counseling, since the project’s start in 2018.

Building connections and learning to cope can help to break the inter-generational cycle of addiction. The nonprofit Eluna operates a camp in Dayton, Ohio, for children whose families have been ravaged by addiction. In addition to receiving the support of adult mentors, the children also engage in activities designed to teach them skills to manage their emotions. With funding from government subventions and private donations, Eluna plans to open several more camps nationwide.

Merging accountability with treatment promotes recovery for those charged with drug possession. In Franklin County, Ohio, the municipal court system operates a program called Helping Achieve Recovery Together. The court recovery program provides a two-year track for participants to receive mental health support from peers and the courts, with the goal of moving them from the criminal justice system and into treatment.

Police departments across eastern Massachusetts frustrated by the rising opioid epidemic decided to make themselves avenues to treatment rather than instruments of punishment. “It was pretty evident that we weren’t arresting our way out of anything.” The idea evolved into a national program called the Police-Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative with nearly 400 police departments helping thousands of people access drug treatment services across the country.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a domestic violence court offers funnels perpetrators into programs that offer counseling and other services to address the root causes of their behavior. Its two tracks focus on first-time offenders to short-circuit any escalation into chronic abuse, as well as those with multiple domestic violence charges. Judges work closely with participants to encourage them and call them out when they aren't meeting their obligations, and recidivism rates among those who complete the programs are far lower than those who do not.

The Montana prison system operates a pair of men's and women's treatment facilities that provide an intensive, nine-month treatment program for methamphetamine and opioid abuse that has shown high rates of success. Residents are seen not simply as prisoners or people with addiction, but as people needing empathy and life lessons in accountability and honesty. Therapy groups allow patients to share their stories of trauma. Various studies have shown the treatment centers have successfully graduated 75-95% of their patients.

A comprehensive rehabilitation facility in Taos, New Mexico uses a holistic approach to curbing addiction by offering group therapy along with traditional medical treatment. By addressing deeper mental and emotional factors that can lead to addiction, the Questa Health Center has enabled addicts to face their demons head-on, with constant support.

Women in Recovery is a diversion program for women who would otherwise face prison time for drug-related offenses. The comprehensive program lasts 18 months and helps participants restore their mental health, reunite with their children, develop skills that help them get jobs, secure housing and reenter the community. Women in Recovery helps reduce recidivism rates and 70% of women who start the program complete it and graduate.

Philly HEALs is a free bereavement support program for people who have lost a loved one to a fatal overdose. The program offers grief counseling and peer support groups for families, teens and children, allowing them a safe space to talk about their experiences and find community among others who can relate.

Agencies like the SHARE Center are beginning to hire peer support specialists, who are individuals who have lived experience of recovery from mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Peer support specialists provide non-clinical, strengths-based support and build trusting relationships with those in need of care. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for peer support specialists has grown exponentially and reports show that working with a peer support specialist can improve health outcomes and quality of life among other benefits.