…One is the thriving, beautiful metropolitan area where its
citizens live in nice houses and have a good life.
The second is a place of homelessness and despair, where its citizens
struggle with poverty, and mental health and/or alcohol and drug abuse
problems.
On any given day, more than 1,100 Wake County citizens need
shelter. Three-quarters of these people also need substance abuse treatment
services. Currently, only 372 beds are available for those in need, but
those beds are not available to people who
are currently using drugs or alcohol.
That’s where The Healing Place of Wake County
comes in. The Healing Place “provides
innovative recovery and rehabilitation to homeless or needy,
alcoholic or chemically dependent men and women.
The Healing Place program is a
continuing, mutual-help program that sustains their desire to return to a
meaningful and productive life.”
The Healing Place of Wake County, modeled after the recovery
program established by The Healing Place
in Louisville, KY, provides detoxification services and long-term,
residential substance abuse recovery and rehabilitation
services through a mutual-help
program. The Men’s Center opened in January 2001, with the Women’s Center
following in January 2006.
Supported largely by private and local government donations,
The Healing Place of Wake County accepts no federal funding.
This allows our administrative costs to
remain low…only $25 per day per client, and those services are provided
free-of-charge to homeless Wake residents in need.
You can make a difference as a volunteer at The Healing Place. Our
volunteers:
-
help us stretch every dollar a little
further, so program costs can stay low, allowing services to be offered
to more clients.
-
bring the face of a compassionate community
into The Healing Place, serving as role
models to clients putting their lives back together.
-
do
important work. Volunteers work on efforts that help earn income to
sustain our programs, such as the State Fair concession wagon. They create
computer programs that streamline work and capture critical data. They
provide critically needed medical and transportation services to clients.
They work on projects that make a happy holiday possible for our clients
and their children.
Sample Volunteer Opportunities
-
Computer Assistant: Develop programs; set up, upgrade or
repair systems; data entry and updates; teach basic
applications or report design
-
Data Analyst: Assist with analyzing data
for trends, etc. that help determine future program direction
-
Medical Assistant: Assist with medical clinics, basic medical
needs, physicals, and testing
-
Food Service Assistant: Help prepare and serve food items
(needed 7 nights per week, 4:30-6:00 p.m.)
-
Concession Wagon Assistant: Assist in preparing and serving
pre-cooked foods from our unit at the NC State Fair and other festivals
(4-hr. shifts)
-
Transport Assistant: Assist in transporting clients for
appointments and for donated food pick-ups
-
Office Assistant: Assist staff with filing, assembling
informational packets and other office duties
-
Special Projects Assistant: Assist staff
with special projects
such as Christmas activities and yard sale
-
Above are examples of volunteer opportunities. Or, give us a
chance to craft a volunteer job that best utilizes your skills, satisfies
your interests, and meets our program needs.
