ALTON - Centerstone, a local organization that provides mental health and substance use support, has a variety of treatment options to meet you wherever you’re at in your road to recovery. The Centerstone Recovery Transitional Housing (CRTH) program provides extra support for people who are learning how to live independently.
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Hannah Jones, who runs the CRTH program, explained that their typical client has just left a 28-day facility and needs additional sober living support. The three to six-month program teaches independent living skills and helps clients find jobs, reconnect with loved ones and continue their sober lifestyle in a supportive environment.
“We just want to make sure they are set up for success and continued recovery,” Jones said. “We work with them on getting back out in the community, so getting a job, getting them an ID again, getting their birth certificate, anything they’re going to need to be a successful member of the community again.”
Jones noted that sober life can be “overwhelming,” especially when people are unsure what comes next. CRTH offers case management and therapy services that aim to help clients figure out their next steps so they graduate from the program with both sobriety and stability.
The CRTH program has 16 beds and provides a structured living environment. Clients live at the facility for those three to six months, but they are able to earn passes and time out of the facility as they recover.
“They do have the freedom to move around a little bit, but they have a safe environment to return to in the evening,” Jones explained. “I genuinely care about these people and I want them to do well, and rules and structure and routine are the basic building blocks of sobriety. So if we can’t maintain those things, our sobriety is going to go right out the window, too.”
While clients are in the CRTH program, they are treated like family. Jones bakes a cake for every birthday, and the clients support each other. Many clients are also able to rebuild their relationships with family and friends outside of the treatment program. And with recovery, Jones said, those relationships are “usually a thousand times stronger.”
Jones wants people to know that the support offered through the CRTH program is key to Centerstone’s mission. The organization aims to help community members through recovery, no matter which stage or program they are in.
“[It’s about] getting these clients to understand that they are valuable. They bring so much to the table even though through active addiction they may think very little of themselves, but they’re still human beings who matter to people in their lives,” Jones said. “They matter to us here at Centerstone. We really care.
"We love to see, even if they leave our programs, that they’re still doing well and they’re able to maintain sobriety. Or, God forbid, if they have a relapse, they know they can come back to Centerstone and come back to their recovery family. It’s always a nice thing to kind of establish that rapport with somebody to let them know, you’re always welcome here and we will always help you.”
For more information about Centerstone, visit RecoverWithUs.org or call 1-877-HOPE123 (877-467-3123).
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