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WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County’s first drug recovery support center will officially open its doors Wednesday after years of planning.
A grand opening for the New Roots Recovery Support Center at 121 Water St. is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. and will feature snacks, entertainment by DJ MC and the opportunity to purchase tickets to win raffle baskets.
Located in a former painting business warehouse next to the county prison, the recovery center is designed to help those who have stopped using drugs from relapsing by providing a walk-in place for guidance, socialization, information and programs.
New Roots is receiving $500,000 through the nonprofit Northeast Behavioral Health Care Consortium to purchase, staff and operate the center for the first two years, officials have said. The company must develop fundraisers and other income streams to make the center self-sustaining after two years.
Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties teamed up to create the consortium more than a decade ago to jointly manage their mental health and drug treatment funding for low-income residents on medical assistance. The state agreed some of the savings they amassed through efficiencies could be used for new, in-demand services, such as a recovery center.
The consortium publicly sought proposals from entities to operate the facility in a high-population area to maximize access to potential clients, volunteers and community partners. As part of the funding, the center must track outcomes and complete financial reports.
Kristen Topolski and Sarah Helcoski founded the company that owns and operates the center — New Roots Inc.
The center is a “resource hub” for those impacted by substance use disorders and their families, a release said.
Topolski has said she and Helcoski are foregoing compensation until finances allow. The center will have five paid staffers — three full-time recovery specialists, a part-time community outreach worker and Program Coordinator Shannon Pieck, who has 11 years of experience in the social services field, she has said.
Certified recovery specialists, called CRSs in the human services field, are trained to provide support to others who have less time in recovery, providing advice and proof that sobriety is attainable.
“The role of the CRS is to build a strong and unique rapport with the individual in recovery based on their lived experiences,” the release said. “A CRS works to facilitate positive change and instill hope by modeling stable recovery and sharing strategies for success.”
Numerous volunteer supporters have helped to bring the project to fruition, the release said.
It is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with information posted at www.newrootspa.org.
The center “has been a conversation in Luzerne County for many years,” Topolski said in an email.
“My team is excited to finally be officially opening the doors to this much needed community based resource,” she wrote.