It is also the first facility in the state designated by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences as level-four. This means it combines both wraparound medical treatment for addiction as well as job training programs for its residents.

But as Delaware Public Media’s Nick Ciolino reports the long term strategy for funding this and the other sites coming to the First State is still being worked out.

During the morning workforce development session at the Refuge in Bear, a group of about a dozen men are gathered around Saad Soliman who is leading a discussion on overcoming systemic barriers.

Salimon runs the nonprofit group Peace by Piece which seeks to help offenders find work as they transition back into society. The state has contracted him to bring his program to this new sober-living facility.

Read the full article HERE.

 

The chances of winding up in prison are much greater for young men who grew up in states like Virginia and Delaware than they are for young men from Maine or Rhode Island.

A black male born around 1980 in Vermont was five times more likely to be in jail as a young adult than a black male growing up at the same time in Rhode Island, according to a study of incarceration rates by a group of Harvard economists.

Where a young person grows up has enormous consequences, according to data compiled by economists Raz Chetty and Nathan Hendren.  The place where a person is reared can affect his or her income later in life and it can raise or lower the probability of landing in jail.

Read the full article HERE.

Earlier this year, DHSS hosted the ribbon-cutting of The Refuge, a 30-bed integrated treatment home in Bear for men with substance use disorder.

Joining Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Elizabeth Romero were Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, state Sen. Stephanie Hansen, Saad Soliman, executive director of Peace By Piece, which operates the house, Kelli DiSabatino, chief operating office of Aquila of Delaware, and Michelle McIver, executive director of Aquila. The 30-bed treatment home for men joins a 20-bed home for women, both in Bear.

The houses are appropriate for people leaving management withdrawal or stepping down from residential treatment, but who still need counseling, cognitive behavior therapy, social service assessment or job training and education. Romero said the next integrated treatment homes are expected to open in March, with homes planned for Kent and Sussex counties, and additional homes planned for New Castle County.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction in Delaware, call DHSS' 24/7 Crisis Hotline to talk with a trained professional about your treatment options:

New Castle County: 1-800-652-2929
Kent and Sussex: 1-800-345-6785