Next Step Recovery Housing Opens New Facility in Clarksville
Posted by Mak Millard | Feb 10, 2023 | Published by AY Magazine | See original article here.
Next Step Recovery Housing (NSRH) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest residential facility in Johnson County on Feb. 8, made possible thanks to a $395,400 grant funded by the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP).
Instead of the traditional red, the ribbon cut by NSRH Assistant Director Macey Wadley and Residential Director Joseph Cruz was purple, the official color of recovery.
“This facility will save lives,” Wadley said, noting recent increases in overdose-related deaths in the state and across the country. Johnson County has been traditionally underserved when it comes to recovery resources, and Next Step’s existing 10-bed facility had previously been the only male recovery housing provider in the area. The new Clarksville facility will increase the availability of recovery and treatment services, serving 30 men in early recovery.
According to a press release from NSRH, the project will be funded by opioid settlement dollars from the Arkansas Association of Counties and the Arkansas Municipal League. Those organizations formed ARORP to oversee the strategic disbursement of opioid settlement dollars at the city and county levels.
ARORP Deputy Director Tenesha Barnes presented Wadley and Cruz with the check for $395,400, alongside ARORP Director Kirk Lane and Arkansas Municipal League Executive Director Mark Hayes.
“We have gone through a tough but productive 5-year piece of litigation. This money is directly from that litigation,” Hayes said. “This is the only place in the country that is actually taking settlement monies and getting them out to the people who need them. This is a great day for this community, and it’s a great day for our state.”
Also according to the release, the Clarksville project will be the first recovery housing to be funded by opioid settlement dollars.
“This facility is hope – hope for the people who enter it, hope for the families that surround it and hope for this community and this state. We’re really proud to be a part of this project,” Lane added.
During a walkthrough of the buildings, Cruz described the program’s unique approach, which is centered on creating a welcoming, home-like environment where people will feel connected and supported on their recovery journey. In addition to the residential areas, Wadley added that NSRH hopes to use another building on the property for education and community outreach.
In addition to the Association of Arkansas Counties and the Municipal League, members of the Clarksville-Johnson County Chamber of Commerce and house peers from the Safe Haven women’s program were in attendance to celebrate the new facility. The project also came with the overwhelming support of Johnson County Judge Herman Houston, Clarksville Mayor David Rieder and the Clarksville community.
About Next Step Recovery Housing:
Next Step was created by co-founders Chelsea and Jimmy McGill to be a unique and intentional approach to recovery. NSRH follows a Peer Recovery model, which allows people with direct, lived experience overcoming addiction to share their expertise and give back to others on that journey. NSRH was the first program in the state to have in-house peer specialists and operates through multiple funding sources that are provided primarily by community donations and federal grants.
To learn more, check program availability or make a donation, please visit Next Step Recovery Housing online or call (501) 777-1881.
