SEEKING SERENITY
Serenity Center for addiction recovery opens new location
WOONSOCKET – David Dubeau had been struggling for years with alcohol dependence when he walked through the doors of the Serenity Center, a drop-in recovery support program in Woonsocket that helped him get into a sober house to begin his journey towards sobriety.
That was seven years ago. Today, he is a certified supervising peer specialist for the very program that gave him his second chance.
Started in 2015, the Serenity Center is a peer-run drop-in recovery support program of Community Care Alliance, which offers support groups like Medication Assisted Treatment, AA and Narcotics Anonymous, and Families Coping with Addictions. At Serenity
Center, a person can simply walk in off the street and immediately get a referral for basic needs and family support, financial literacy classes, and health and
wellness activities, among other things.
Support and activities are provided by peer recovery specialists like Dubeau who
are able to make a connection with visitors based on their own lived experience.
“I’m in recovery myself. I always will be,” says Dubeau, who was hired to work at Serenity in 01 . “I’m a product of the Serenity Center.”
On Tuesday, Dubeau had another reason to be grateful. The Serenity Center which for years was housed on the cramped second floor at Main St. - celebrated the grand opening of its new home at Social St., a spacious storefront space located in the Dr. Joseph B. Mc.enna 5etail and Apartment Complex.
Do ens of local stakeholders, community partners and other non-profits, including
/isa Carcifero, executive director of the oonsocket Prevention Coalition, were on hand to tour the new location -a bright modern space with a comfortable sitting
space, a refrigerator and microwave oven, a play area for mothers and children, and dedicated areas for arts and crafts, mediation, karaoke, resume writing workshops, and movie nights.
Over 0 support groups are offered at the center each month and there’s a plethora of resources on basic needs assistance, employment and training, housing, emergency services, outpatient services and consultation and training.
Since Aug. 1, 0 individuals have signed up as members. They have been assisted with everything from access to housing, employment, treatment, food and more.
The center is open Sunday through ednesday to p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from noon to p.m.
More importantly, the Serenity Center is a safe haven and accepting place that helps people set recovery
goals and take ownership of their own recovery through a community experience that promotes personal growth, personal empowerment, responsibility, and greater independence.
“This new location is really prime because it’s more accessible to people coming in off the street,” says Dubeau. “At the old location we were squirreled away on the second floor.”
The Serenity Center is a ealth Equity one initiative that is funded by the Department of Behavioral ealthcare Developmental Disabilities and ospitals and operates with the advocacy of a Consumer Advisory Council. It is administered by Thundermist ealth Center and supported by the Blackstone Valley Prevention Coalition and other community partners.
According to Michelle
Taylor, Community Care Alliance’s director of outpatient services, Serenity Center is a free family-friendly center for all stages of addiction recovery.
“This is all about community spirit and what we offer here is a center that will provide support for people challenged by substance abuse,” she said at Tuesday’s open house.
“This is a wonderful day for us because we’ve been dreaming about this for years,” said Benedict F. /essing, Jr., Community Care Alliance President CEO. “If we’ve learned nothing else over the last 0 years it’s that recovery is linear. Treatment works, but there is also the ability to facilitate community to have a safe space. This is a thriving community often on the periphery of what happens around human services funding.”
“This is something that we’ve talked about in oonsocket for a long time,” said Carcifero. “I want to thank everyone who played a part and recogni ed that having a safe place is vitally important. This is not just a celebration of a bricks and mortar building, its a celebration of those people and families in recovery who are benefiting from this initiative.”
Dubeau say the center has been a success since is started in 01 .
“Just recently we had a man come in off the street. e was unemployed and homeless,” he said. “Today’s he’s living in a sober house and has a job. e was in the same boat I was seven years ago so its gratifying to be able to help someone else in their recovery.”