Bennington recovery housing to open next week
BENNINGTON — A new transitional housing facility for those in recovery from addiction will open next week, according to its co-founders.
Bridge Street Recovery broke ground last fall at 608 Francestown Road, the former location of the long-gone Highland Inn across from the Crotched Mountain ski resort.
Construction wrapped up a few weeks ago, and the facility will open its doors Tuesday, co-founder John Christian said.
“We’re excited,” he said. “We know that there are people out there suffering from substance-use issues, and we’re glad we’ll be able to provide beds and treatment.”
The 40-bed residential care and transitional housing facility will provide both emergency and long-term care to New Hampshire residents recovering from addiction.
Christian and co-founder and fellow Massachusetts resident Stephen Bryan also plan to open a 64-bed detox facility in Peterborough in 2022.
Both men have experience related to substance-use treatment.
Christian said he has worked for recovery programs for more than 25 years, including with many clients from New Hampshire, while Bryan is a real estate developer who oversaw several addiction-treatment center projects.
The pair saw a “tremendous need,” Christian has said, for substance-use programs statewide and wanted to help fill that gap.
New Hampshire’s number of fatal drug overdoses skyrocketed starting in 2013 and 2014 as part of a nationwide opioid epidemic. Drug deaths peaked in 2017, with a confirmed total of 490, and have since started to decline.
In 2018, New Hampshire ranked third highest in the country for opioid-related deaths per capita, according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, but that same year was reported to have the second-lowest level of access to substance-use treatment.
“We are looking forward to following through with the mission that Steve and I have had for several years now,” Christian said.
Bridge Street Recovery’s transitional housing facility is for adults of all genders who are at least 30 days into sobriety and need help transitioning back into everyday life. The facility will accept any form of insurance, including Medicaid.
Clients will have the option of attending treatment, such as substance-use counseling, at the facility six days a week if needed, the co-founders have said. Clients will also have full access to treatment staff of varying specialties, ranging from clinicians to peer-recovery workers.
Additionally, clients will receive job counseling and help finding permanent housing.
Stays at Bridge Street Recovery can range from 30 days to six months, depending on the client’s needs.
The detox facility in Peterborough will be for people who are just coming off substances, may be going into withdrawal, and need a more intense form of treatment.
The goal is to have clients start in Peterborough and then come to Bennington to continue their recovery process.
Christian said they hope to break ground on the facility this fall.
Bridge Street Recovery can be reached at 603-255-7070 or at newhampshiretreatmentcenter.com.