Activists and locals have been protesting upcoming changes to a Holyoke, Massachusetts sober home program – some of which are causing confusion among the program’s current residents.
The non-profit managing it says a revamp of the program is underway and that no one is getting booted - but some residents still fear much-needed support could be coming to an end.
Speaking on the steps of the Broderick House Tuesday, community activist Charles Stokes had harsh words for Providence Ministries for the Needy - the non-profit operating several sober homes in Holyoke.
“This uncertainty and confusion is already [having] an impact on these men's mental health and putting their sobriety at risk,” Stokes said. “They deserve better, and to add fear about housing ... is reprehensible.”
Stokes and others rallied this week, supporting sober home residents who say they feel uneasy about apparent changes coming to the program.
Providence officials say reforms and revamps are underway, affecting the dozens of men who make use of their facilities.
Broderick House is one of them, just down the street from another, Loreto House. Combined, the two are capable of housing about 40 men seeking sobriety in the city’s South Holyoke neighborhood.
Jeremiah Smith is one of them. He tells WAMC he entered the program some three years ago, and recently celebrated three years of being opiate-free.
“Sober living is really what it comes down to [and] is what this house is about. It's about the many men in recovery living here [having] a safe place and that they can feel that there's no … usage of drinking or drug use here,” he says. “That's the main point of this place, and … there has been a couple slips and falls here with other residents, and they do take care of it…”
Smith and about a dozen other residents say they’re concerned that support might be in danger, following a series of notices they received from Providence.
Earlier this year, one described a hundred dollar increase in the monthly program fee residents pay - effectively rent. While that rose to $700, residents also began receiving reminders that the housing is meant to be transitional, and that more was going to be done to help residents successfully transition out of their units, or at the very least, engage more in “structured activities” such as volunteer service and “community-based programs.”
Providence would also work to dispel rumors of closures, clarifying that no one was being kicked out. But, Smith says, there are real concerns an apparent revamp would translate to an exit from South Holyoke – a spot that offers accessibility and a park: perfect for when he sees his two kids.
“Having a place and a park that's amazing - just redone - it's a very good place to be able to have the kids for the day or a couple hours and be able to go to the park or the store or something like that in this community… it's been life changing,” he says. “Just having a location where I can get on the bus because I don't drive, and having the ability to go down the street to the grocery store … it makes a big difference in my life”
Joined by members of the housing advocacy group, Springfield No One Leaves, Stokes tells WAMC if a revamp means displacement of any kind, Providence should be ready to put men in hotels.
Stokes, who’s battled addiction himself in the past, says what Broderick or Loreto House offers is crucial for men trying to get back on track in life.
“One of the things that happens in a house like this is discipline, structure - you get to know how to pay bills, you get to clean up, have yourself together and it gives you a way to be able to move [to] the next step of life,” he explains.
Sitting down with WAMC, Providence Ministries’ Executive Director Pedro Rodriguez confirmed that major changes are coming to the program, with much of it taking shape in the program’s third sober house, McCleary Manor, a few miles away.
Operating since 1980, Rodriguez says Providence has offered food and clothing to thousands in the Holyoke area over the years, with its sober program evolving along the way.
To meet demand and modernize, he says the organization is looking to double capacity at McCleary: turning single-occupancy rooms into shared spaces, meaning at least 50 men can be served by the revamped space.
More counseling, assistance and other offerings will come with it, as well. Rodriguez says the changes will lend themselves to Providence meeting National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) Level 2 standards and additional certification(s).
It also means current program residents will need to apply for the “revitalized program." Also: moving or transitioning out men who are currently in McCleary.
“We were thinking we can offer whatever supports they may need to transition from there into independent living, but if they needed more time, we also had spaces,” he explains. “We weren't taking on new individuals - we were doing that intentionally, to be able to open rooms and have rooms available. So, men from McCleary could transition to Loreto or to Broderick, and we can continue on that path of finding them independent living situations, because we didn't want them to rush into anything that may be unhealthy.”
Rodriguez acknowledges that, down the road, Broderick and Loreto are not likely to be used for sober housing as Providence moves the revamped program to McCleary.
He says both of the older buildings have served the non-profit well over the years, and that pantry and other program services in them will continue in them for the time being.
Ultimately, though, more change is coming.
“Providence Ministries for the Needy has been looking for alternate locations to move these programs. The programs have grown, we want to serve more people and it's been years now that …. we've been looking at other properties here in Holyoke,” he says. “Holyoke is where we want to serve it: we're committed to serving in Holyoke. So, that's a work in progress - looking at properties - because what we'd like to create is create a one-stop shop.”
The sober housing program continues to serve 54 men, Rodriguez says, with a capacity as high as 76 at one point. The executive director tells WAMC that, at times, that population has included men not necessarily pursuing sobriety, but in need of shelter in general. He says focusing squarely on sobriety is part of Providence’s current goals.
He also emphasizes that, again, no one is being outright booted from the sober program. Rodriguez adds that rally organizers are invited to sit down and speak with him about what’s going on.
“None of them reached out to me,” Rodriguez said of Tuesday’s rally organizers. “No one sat down with me, and I wish that we had that opportunity … my door is always open. This is not an easy task: we're not oblivious to our current situation. Anyone that has resources, anyone that wants to help out - Springfield No One Leaves, Stokes, anyone else that was there, please: my door is always open. I need help to get these men to their next step.”
“For the gentlemen that are feeling anxious: I totally understand, I would feel anxious as well,” he said of residents who took part at the Broderick House rally. “This has become their home. We've had people here who have been here a number of years, who've built a community with the men in the house, and who, because of their own situations, feel like this is their only option. What we’ve really been asking is to give us an opportunity to work with them, to see what we can put together”
