The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
KEEPING A PRESENCE
Recovery group developing new offices
A former funeral home in Lorain will become the new headquarters for a local organization that connects people fighting addictions with resources to help.
Let’s Get Real Inc., a nonprofit recovery community organization, started in Vermilion in August 2013.
Its mission is to provide information, education and resource assistance to addicts and their families on the journey from addiction to recovery.
This year, the organization scored a major donation: The former Dombrowski-Riddle Funeral Home, 1939 Oberlin Ave. in Lorain.
Moving to Lorain
Kim Eberle, a former social worker who founded Let’s Get Real and executive director of the organization, and her board said they want to be clear about plans for the Lorain building
“Our work is where the addiction meets families and people. Our work is in the field. We’re knee-deep in Lorain.” — Let’s Get Real Inc. board member John Benko
— and what won’t happen there.
“Will there be people in and out and some traffic? Yes,” she said.
There also will be offices and meeting space for families to talk about their struggles.
In Lorain, Eberle wants to continue the services that started in Vermilion, such as family support groups.
The office keeps a stockpile of clothes and toiletries for people leaving immediately for treatment programs.
Eberle said she hopes to add “smart” recovery programs, such as yoga, meditation and a Life Recovery Bible study.
But neighbors should know the Lorain space will not have a residential detoxification or treatment facility, she said.
It is not an emergency room or a drop-off site for families seeking help for their loved ones.
“Any fears they have, I want to squash,” Eberle said, referring to nearby residents. “We’re not going to have 50 guys living there.”
An exact schedule is not set, but Eberle hopes Let’s Get Real can move this summer, possibly by Sept. 1.