A sober living facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for people in recovery is expanding from solely offering its services to women. No Matter What Sober House at 278 Onota Street in the Westside Neighborhood, managed by the New England-based Vanderburgh Foundation charitable foundation, has been up and running since 2022 and is now accepting applications from men as well as women looking for an independent space to rebuild from substance misuse. Operator Jamie Cote, a Pittsfield native, has worked in the world of recovery for more than seven years and also runs similar facilities in Springfield and Greenfield. While she has worked in more clinical environments for people in recovery, Cote tells WAMC that No Matter What Sober House and the Vanderburgh Foundation are attempting to close the gap on much-needed support resources by focusing on personal choice and community.
COTE: They are about those that are in early recovery, getting them to an independent place in their recovery and more peer support. So, that's kind of like where I come in. They come into our homes, they are in shared rooms, they have a kitchen, living room, that type of thing. They're an actual dwelling of a house- It doesn't look like a program, it's in the house. And we do weekly screenings, we do weekly meetings, and they're just kind of there for support. They go to IOP programs and just, really, just kind of buckle in on what early recovery looks like for them. I'm very much the type of operator that I want them to do what's best for them, as long as it's conducive to the recovery. Some people like to go to five, ten, meetings a week. Some people like three meetings a week, and whatever that looks like is what I support.
WAMC: Well, let's talk about early recovery- What are some sort of key factors about early recovery? Like, what can help or hurt people in the earliest time when they’re maybe leaving inpatient care or have just sought intervention- Tell us about that moment, usually, in someone's trajectory.
So, in early recovery, it is such a vulnerable state. And I hear a lot of people talking about, like, when they get sponsors and things like that, like, they really shouldn't get into new relationships within like the first 10 to 12 months of early recovery, things like that, just like people, places and things. So, like triggers, that's a big thing. Many people will come from a certain area, and they're like, nope, nope, nope, that's a trigger for me, because I know I'm going to relapse. So, we try to focus on maybe getting those that are in those type of situations or areas out of that area and try something new. And again, the support factor is huge. Some people, though, I am finding that independence- Because this is very independent. You can work right away, you can go and see family and friends right away. We don't hold you in the house 24/7, it's nothing like that. But sometimes it is a lot. You know, independence is a big factor, and for some individuals, the independence is too much, so we really try to screen those in early recovery, just to make sure that it is a good fit, because we want them to be successful, of course. And sometimes even just with my support, I'll go out in the into the community with them in case they are triggered in any way, shape or form, that they know that they have my support. So, like I said, it just comes in many, many different, different layers. And every case is different, every person is different. We have some people that come straight from jail to the to the house. We have people that come straight from like a CSS or a TSS or just in a hospital facility, whatever that may look like. So again, everybody is very different, so, but we're pushing through, and we're having great success so far, so I'm thinking it's a good fit.
Explain to us what this expansion means for the community here in Pittsfield.
So, as we know, Berkshire County is very limited on resources in general- Mental health, recovery resources, just a lot of factors, not only in recovery, but just the whole spectrum of it. And we do know that men have a little bit more than women do, but we decided to become- And they are separate dwellings, like, one side would be men, the other side is women. We're just trying to give more of the independence to even the men in our in our community and out of the community. You don't have to be from the Berkshires to come to the Vanderburgh house on Onota Street. You can come from other places. But like I said, you're able to work right away. I know many men that are in certain programs that aren't able to work for like, the first 30 to 60 days and have children to take care of, whether it's child support, you know what I mean, like a deathly ill mother, whatever it is. So, we just kind of wanted to feel it out to see if it's something that it would work for the men in the community, so that way they have some independence as well. Again, not saying that the other programs are bad, because they're not. We're just different. So, we are a little different from like your ALC or your Keenan House or those type of programs, that, they are a little bit restricted, and that's okay, that's what they do, but that we're going to do something different. So, I'm excited. We do have some applications coming in. This week is the first week that we started accepting those, so we're looking forward to it.
What do you think some of the biggest misconceptions about recovery are that you’d like to dispel?
What comes to mind is, honestly, my mother. My mother was an addict for many years. And as a child, I used to look at her in- not in shame, but like that, there was something wrong, right? And I used to look at her like, oh, you can help this, you can help that. Addiction is- nobody wakes up one day and says, I'm going to be an addict or I'm going to be an alcoholic. It doesn't work that way. This is a disease, and we need to understand that it is a disease, and the more resources that we have to help with the disease, and more this of the support that we have is going to make a longer recovery process and a better outcome for them. I can't stress enough, how many people I hear say, well, they didn't want to get clean because they didn't get clean. I have people all the time, on a daily basis that I just know from the community that tell me they're just scared or they're not ready. And you know what? That's okay, you know, like I said, this comes in many different layers, many different factors, but nobody essentially wants to be in the position that they're in. Many different factors come into play- loss of family members, loss of husbands, loss of children. Mental health is a big, big issue, especially in Berkshire County, where we are again, limited in those resources, especially with COVID. When COVID came into play, I even remember, I don't think it's a big secret- everybody goes to therapy, I think, nowadays. Even my therapist was on hiatus for seven months. You know what I mean? There just wasn't enough out there, and I just think that people's some misconception out there is they don't want it, they don't want this, they don't want that, and it's their fault that they're in the position that they're in, and that is the biggest misconception, and that, I can't stress it enough, because that's not always the case. Sometimes, yes, but not always. There's many, many, many different factors and how individuals become into the situation of either drugs or alcohol. It just doesn't happen overnight.
I'm interested in the peer aspect of it- From your experience. What about a peer driven experience is more effective than a more clinical one for folks in recovery?
I think peer is just more so, we're not robots, you know, we don't necessarily get it from a textbook. I get all of my, we'll say schooling or resources from living in the situations. Yes, I have gone to school. But again, I think if you have more a, if you live in the shoes, and you have more resources, and you have more of, we'll say a heart into what you do- You know, it all is about life experiences. So, to me, clinical is great. I do think that some people do benefit more on the clinical aspect. But I do think that individual and independent is more conducive at times, because, again, we're able to sit down and cry, swear, laugh. You know what I mean? Whereas clinical, they have to be a little bit more professional, they have to be, the boundaries have to still be there. And again, even with independence, the boundaries still have to be there, in some sense, but we're just able to be a little bit more real with them, and that's what I enjoy.
As far as like cost to folks trying to take advantage of this, what does that look like? And are there any ways to get support for the costs for greater accessibility?
So right now, well, funding, unfortunately, is on hold right now. They are trying to figure out what's going on with it. They do think it should be back up soon. We don't know when, but it will be soon, but it is $180 a week, and right now we are waiving the $200 intake fee. So essentially, when an individual would move in, they would pay their week, prorated, depends on what day they move in, and then a $200 intake fee that essentially would be given back to them when and if they decided to leave the Vanderburgh house after completion. But we're waiving that $200 intake fee because it's the holidays, and come on now, like, a lot of our folks are coming out of treatments and hospitals and things like that, they just don't have the funds. So, we completely understand that we want to be able to help and support, so we are waiving that until further notice.
