In the years that she’s been working in harm reduction, Rivera has shared bits and pieces of her own experiences with addiction, trauma, and violence with those she works with. She’s always been cautious of sharing too much, in part because she’s aware that the people she is helping have their own traumas that they may not be ready to talk about. Join New Life House Review’ team of over 200 dedicated and compassionate employees who are committed to helping our community’s most vulnerable individuals and families.
- We provide individuals and their families with the education, tools, and ongoing support they need to help them regain their health, prevent and manage relapse, and maximize their independence.
- She’s also hopeful that people who are quick to judge the unsheltered individuals, still in the throes of their own crises of addiction and mental health, living around Mass. and Cass might gain greater understanding from hearing her story.
- Rivera said whenever she learns of another fatal overdose, she finds herself wondering about how there could have been a different outcome.
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- “Every time I had an appointment, they had somebody to come with me because it’s how I felt safe,” she said.
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Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). When individuals and families are safely housed, they’re much more likely to address their physical and mental health, addictions, and other issues. Our housing stabilization services, including emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, and case management, move people off the street as quickly as possible, with as few barriers as possible. New Joelyn’s Home is a fully functional residential treatment program for substance abuse and addiction issues, and will be staffed 24 hours a day with skilled direct-care clinicians and community case managers.
Levels of Care
When Rivera was moved to Casa Esperanza’s new housing on Eustis Street, she again felt flooded with feelings of fear and nervousness about the change, she recalled. She began having dreams about her past, and she was prescribed medications to help with the nightmares. “We were always left alone, and the violence that was in the house was not normal,” she said of living with her mother. By the time that she was about 8, her mother moved the family to Springfield, Massachusetts. If you would like to join our mailing list to automatically receive our publications by mail, fill out the form below or email your name and address to We have exciting updates for you all this season, from New Joelyn’s Home embracing inclusivity to a life-saving grant from RIZE Massachusetts.
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The Heart of Women’s Hope is an IOP program focused on intensive therapy (group and individual) to uncover underlying triggers of addictive behavior and teach healthy coping mechanisms to replace substance abuse. Clients attend the facility a few hours a day throughout the week, with the schedule determined by their needs. Such a rigid structure helps keep clients focused on recovery and instills a sense of personal responsibility. But now, with 24 years in recovery, the Dorchester resident hopes that by talking about her own experiences, others might be encouraged to speak up. She’s also hopeful that people who are quick to judge the unsheltered individuals, still in the throes of their own crises of addiction and mental health, living around Mass. and Cass might gain greater understanding from hearing her story.
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“Sometimes I feel so happy that my heart — I feel like I’m having like a big, good pain in my heart,” she said. The subsequent press coverage, Romer said, prompted the district attorney’s office to build a case against the 35-year-old squatter. At least four lawmakers penned legislation to protect homeowners from squatters after his arrest, ABC 7 reported. Over the 14 years, Rivera said she found herself constantly wanting to learn more about harm reduction and the ways to help people, like herself, who deal with addiction and recovery. Giving the individuals that she counsels at The Victory Connector, a low-threshold navigation center in the neighborhood run by the nonprofit New Life House Review Review, a feeling of care, a sense of calm and peace, is what she aims for each day. The release of the plan caused an uproar among the isolationist bloc in the United States, but the controversy died off quickly only three days later, after news of the attack on Pearl Harbor was received and a formal declaration of war was made.
In addition, co-occurring disorder treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of relapse. When individuals and families are safely housed, they’re much more likely to address their health, addictions, and other issues. It’s a “housing first” approach that includes stabilization services, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, and case management.
By the time she was 16, she’d been introduced to drugs by one of her mother’s friends, she said. But once in the foster home, Rivera said she continued to be exposed to alcohol, drugs, and sexual violence. By the time she was 10 or 11, Rivera and her siblings were placed in foster care because of their mother’s alcohol use. Shepherd House A recovery program where pregnant mothers and mothers with infants are given priority placement. Corporations, foundations, and individuals have long supported New Life House Review to help make our mission possible! As an event sponsor, you will have a direct and positive impact on our communities while promoting your company and its core values.
Each day, she and her colleagues at the Connector also do about two hours of street outreach, rotating who stays in the office and who goes out. When people come in, she and her colleagues offer hot meals and find out what their needs may be. They make sure people have clean needles and talk to those who are engaged with sex work, asking how they are keeping themselves safe. Rivera starts each day with a cup of coffee and greets her staff, ensuring the plan is set for the day. Remembering her own experiences — of sleeping in cars or under a bridge, of wanting to end her own life — and the moments when people helped, or failed to help, Rivera said she continues to find herself wanting to do more to aid people in similar need. “Every time I had an appointment, they had somebody to come with me because it’s how I felt safe,” she said.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation. Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment.
It’s centrally located in the city and offers modern amenities in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s why the 46-year-old loves her job, working as a harm reduction specialist with individuals experiencing addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues in the area of Mass. and Cass in Boston. When the only option for women who had been designated a danger to themselves or others due to substance use disorders needed a community-based treatment option as an alternative to incarceration, we were there to offer a solution. We have always stood on the front lines, ready to identify and address the unmet needs in our community. The City of Boston continues to encourage and sponsor the creation of new, transitional and permanent housing opportunities with recovery services for homeless individuals and families towards a goal of ending chronic homelessness and substance abuse. Through partnerships like those with Victory, the City of Boston has restored full capacity to its shelter and treatment system, with as many shelter and treatment beds in the system as were formerly located on Long Island.
