RICHMOND, Va. — An addiction treatment center in Richmond is expanding.
REAL LIFE announced the grand opening of its expanded Community Center on North 25th Street in the Church Hill area Wednesday. The center's new second-floor classroom and conference space is now complete.
It's poised to serve what director Sarah Scarbrough says has been a "steady flow" of individuals battling addiction who have been recently released from jail or prison and are looking for support.
"Serving so many people, we were just busting at the seams," Scarbrough said. "It just really opens up opportunities for serving individuals for additional classes, or one-on-ones, or digital literacy classes, and really just doubles what we're able to do and provide."
REAL LIFE has 11 recovery homes in Richmond and serves around 130 individuals.
REAL LIFE's programming is poised to last around six to eight months for each individual.
Scarbrough said the Community Center offers anywhere from 20 to 25 classes each week, as well as one-on-one appointments with specialists who can help navigate life post-release.
"Everything from employment to trauma, anger management, motherhood, fatherhood. We even have a current events class, so having this space allows folks to get out of the house, come here, engage in those services, and then they're able to go home in the evenings," Scarbrough said. "Folks that are going through a program have gone through a lot and really battled a lot of significant traumas and things of that nature. And so, you know, we really want to bring in the light and the happy, and, you know, the opposite of isolation and those types of things they've been through in the past."
"For almost a decade, we have been serving the Richmond community. We've had hundreds of people come through our doors who have problems navigating their lives and their struggles, and we've been able to help a lot of people. With this additional space, we can enhance our coverage to them and what we can provide to them. Very, very happy with this expansion," said Thomas E. Young Jr., a REAL LIFE housing manager and senior case manager.
Young worked as a classification specialist at Richmond City Jail prior to working with REAL LIFE.
"A lot of people that come to us have lost hope. They don't know where to turn, they don't know what to do. They're angry. And we give them hope and we tell them and help them show how to believe in yourself. Believe what you can accomplish if you put the work in. That's the biggest thing," he said.
Virginia Delegate Rae Cousins, who represents the 79th District and grew up in Church Hill, said the group fills a critical need in the area.
"REAL LIFE and organizations like it are definitely filling gaps that the state and federal government could be doing a better job of funding," Cousins said. "Really, really grateful for the work that they've done to step up, their tireless efforts and advocacy in the General Assembly Building, just to continue to highlight these issues and to also bring the real-life stories and voices and lived experiences that have been key to us getting any legislation passed."
Scarbrough said the expansion was made possible through the support of the Anthem Foundation.
Jasmine Washington, who graduated from the program just a few years ago, said she can now serve more people who were once in her shoes. She now is a liaison for the nonprofit.
"I’ve been to plenty of different recovery organizations, rehabs, mental institutions. I felt like a number there. I felt like a piece of money. But here, the staff love what they do, and they love us, and that’s what made a difference. Someone believed in me before I could believe in myself," Washington said. "The only way that we can keep what we have is by giving it away. So, the only way to keep what I have is by giving it away to the newcomer who comes through that door scared. Let them know that, welcome home, number one. And you are safe. This is a safe space.”
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