Bridges Recovery Shelter opening in Burlington; How advocates say it fills a gap in care

Read the full article at mynbc5.com.

The Howard Center, the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, and the Vermont Department of Health have come together to open a new recovery shelter in Burlington. Health care providers have said the space fills a unique gap in care, because the city has not had a shelter dedicated to substance use recovery and sober living.

The shelter will provide on-site support services for people recovering from substance use disorder and who are currently experiencing homelessness. Each person who is a part of the shelter's program will have an individualized recovery plan, which can include counseling, support groups, and access to other services like housing and employment resources.

Client services professionals at the Howard Center explained the importance of the collaboration, and said it allows them to combine services and offer more options to more people.

"Together we can support more people holistically and help them build long-term stability. It's a strong example of what's possible when community partners align around some of these shared solutions," said Beth Holden, chief client services officer with the Howard Center.

Bridges director Lacey Smith said that by working with other community partners, the shelter will be able to provide people support throughout their recovery process, no matter how long that takes.

"We need to be able to provide them the things that they need to get well with, and one of the most basic things is shelter. So, I think this is really trying to create that type of environment that allows people to stay as long as they're participating in the program," explained Smith.

The shelter will have space for 12 beds. Each person will have a case care manager assigned to help them through their recovery process and support them in getting stable, permanent housing.

The shelter officially opens Monday and will continue accepting clients over the next several weeks.