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Rockbridge Recovery receives new grants, expands services including women’s program and outreach center
Summary
Community Foundation and Rockbridge Recovery reported new grant awards (about $812,000) and ongoing fundraising that support a recovery campus with men’s and women’s housing, outreach services, harm‑reduction supplies, rapid STD testing and workforce supports.
Laurie Turner, executive director with the Community Foundation (which helped establish Rockbridge Recovery), told the board on July 27 that Rockbridge Recovery has received roughly $812,000 in additional grants to sustain and expand services, including a women’s services center and a peer‑staffed outreach center in Buena Vista. Turner described a recovery campus that now includes the Hope House, a women’s program, and an outreach center offering drop‑in services, harm reduction, laundry and showers, and wraparound supports.
Turner said an earlier $218,000 had been raised locally before county or city funds were added and emphasized that the local model has been highlighted statewide as a program others seek to replicate. She outlined new services including rapid testing for HIV and hepatitis, transportation for clients, a workforce component with training stipends and startup assistance for graduates, and ongoing peer support. A program graduate, Mark Peters, spoke about his recovery and current employment with the program.
The board discussed the program’s scope and whether it can accommodate clinical services such as methadone treatment; Turner said Rockbridge Recovery is not a clinical provider and recommended referral to clinical agencies (CSB) for medication‑assisted treatment. The board received the update and acknowledged the program’s role in regional opioid response efforts funded in part through opioid abatement funds.
