The original vision of the founders of The Healing Place was to provide services for men, women and children. Initially, organizers’ efforts focused on building the men’s program. Now it’s time to address the rest of the mission.

 

Wake County Human Services has estimated that 484 women are homeless at any given time in Wake County. Of those, 290 to 387 have substance abuse problems.

 

Of all the services that are currently available to women, there are no local residential programs whose sole function is to help female homeless substance abusers recover from their addictions and be reunited with their children. There are also no local programs that specifically target the problems of children of homeless addicts and alcoholics.

 

The Healing Place of Wake County Women’s Program will fill this void by addressing the core issue of addiction and alcoholism in homeless women of Wake County and the children they care for.

 

The program is being developed as the second phase of a long-term strategic plan put together by the original organizers of The Healing Place of Wake County, Inc. in 1999.

 

Like the men’s program, the women’s program will replicate a nationally recognized model, using the same methods and recovery tools that have shown success at the men’s facility.

 

The program uses peer role-modeling to encourage and motivate women to explore and eventually embrace recovery.  Children will be reunited with their mothers in the facility when possible. The outcome of this progression is the family’s eventual return to a healthy, productive, beneficial and self-sufficient lifestyle.

 

With planning currently underway, organizers expect the women’s facility to open in December of this year. Renovation of an existing 34,000 square foot building at 3304 Glen Royal Road, near Umstead Park in Raleigh (photo at top) was started in May. The building will provide 88 beds for women and children.