A long-awaited and much needed expansion of local recovery support services to individuals navigating substance abuse and mental health challenges has come to Gettysburg. Adams County’s TNH Sober Living (TNH) organization recently opened up a community drop-in Recovery Support Center at the Mercy House in Gettysburg, which offers a welcoming, stigma-free and recovery-focused environment where individuals can access peer support, connect with community resources, and build meaningful pathways toward recovery.
The center located at 45 W. High St. features a comfortable lounge with a free coffee bar and a TV, as well as computer kiosks that can be used for education, resume building, and job searches. On the third floor, it houses 8 beds for transitional residents (who must be drug-free to be eligible).
Gettysburg Connection staff were able to speak with Executive Director, Colin Kerrigan, as well as Trained Certified Recovery Specialists, Paul Johnston and Leith Starner, who are the main points of contact on site providing individual counseling, advocacy, outreach and recovery support services. Visitors will be greeted by the on-site manager (Paul), who will determine their needs and guide them to the appropriate resources they need.
The peer support specialists can enroll the individual in specific support services, and connect them with resources anywhere in the community, which also includes providing transportation to doctor visits, recovery meetings, job interviews, etc. The goal is to provide them with tools to function on their own.
Kerrigan points out that a major part of a person’s recovery is the crossroad when the substance use is removed from the addict’s life, but they then need to learn to live and function without the help of the substance. For too long, many of them were told that they are incapable of functioning, due to their alcoholism or addiction. The Center’s goal is to show them that they CAN recover and function.
The main focus of the Center’s programs is to assist individuals in sustaining recovery through continued support and access to the resources they need. Anyone seeking support can call, stop by Mercy House in person, or ask for a support specialist to come and meet them where they are. Kerrigan pointed out that there may be individuals who need support but are not quite ready for treatment or enrollment in some of the more structured services Mercy House provides. The staff will still help them in any way they can to continue on their path of sobriety, be it by helping them obtain an identification card, driving them to recovery meetings, or other logistical support needed.
If they are open to voluntarily enrolling in more structured support, clients can also sign up with a specific peer support specialist and develop an ongoing rapport with that individual. Kerrigan pointed out that this approach has helped significantly in reducing relapse rates.
But not everyone is ready to seek recovery support. Some folks may just want to come in, have some coffee and watch TV, simply to get away from the instability, chaos and stress of their own world. Mercy House offers them a safe place to recharge for a few hours and perhaps learn something from staff and other peers spending time in the lounge. There is plenty of educational literature available to read, with the goal to educate visitors about resources and ways to recover. Now and then, former clients of Mercy House will stop by just to catch up with peers and staff.
One of the best aspects of being part of the Adams County community, Kerrigan says, is the well-developed cohesiveness among other recovery and mental health support organizations, which Mercy House can rely on to be able to offer as much support to its clients as possible. These organizations include, for example, Genesis Treatment Services in Maryland, as well as True North Mental Health Services, which will also take referrals for MAT (Medical Assisted Treatment) services. These community connections are a key component of Mercy House’s program.
The Mercy House staff are especially excited about a new service expansion coming to Adams County through TNH’s Next Steps Recovery Navigation Program. TNH describes the program as providing “individualized recovery navigation, peer support, care coordination, recovery planning, treatment linkage, housing navigation, family support, overdose prevention education, and connections to vital community resources.”
The program will include a Hotline where anyone can report an overdose occurrence, a criminal encounter, or simply just a family member calling in with concerns for a loved one. Upon receiving a call, staff will immediately deploy to the location where the individual is located (they try to get there within 60 minutes wherever possible) and determine whether they simply need to come back with them to Mercy House to “chill out” in a safe place; whether they need medical treatment; or they need to be connected with other resources.
One of Kerrigan’s upcoming projects is to find more housing opportunities for clients in need. While Mercy House has housing (8 beds) on site, it is almost always fully occupied. The staff will try to work with Adams County Mission and other church missions, as well as other counties to find housing for individuals. The housing shortage in Gettysburg is a huge challenge, Kerrigan mentions, and his goal is to work with Adams County and the Borough Mayor to see if more residences can be opened in the area.
Mercy House currently offers the following meetings on site:
• Alcoholics Anonymous – Sundays 7pm
• Catholics in Recovery – Tuesdays 6:30pm
• Overcomers Group – Thursdays 6pm (led by Adams County Prison Ministry Chaplain Rachel DuPhily)
With a currently huge but unmet need for NA meetings in Gettysburg, the staff are currently working on setting up NA meetings on site on Tuesday nights. Kerrigan pointed out that another benefit of enrolling with a peer support specialist includes being taken to other communities, e.g., New Oxford, to attend NA meetings.
At Mercy House’s Open House last month, we also met Stormy who is a current resident at Mercy House and is actively involved in assisting with outreach and the Next Step program. Kerry, a former addict and retired counselor himself, comes and hangs out once in a while simply to connect with the folks on site. And John, three years clean and once a resident for eight months, credits Mercy House for providing him with the support and tools to get back on his feet. “This is my other home”, he said.
Whether you are in recovery yourself, supporting a loved one, or just want to learn more about what Mercy House offers, the staff will be happy to help you find out how the center can help connect people to housing, employment, healthcare, and treatment resources.
www.thenicholashouse.com / Admissions: 1 717 224-7898 or admissions@thenicholashouse.com
Featured image (courtesy of Alison Lintal):
l-r: Paul Johnston, Mercy House; Pearl, Intake Coordinator TNH York; Leith Starner, Mercy House; Colin Kerrigan, Mercy House; Alison Lintal, Gettysburg Mayor; Christopher Erthal, TNH York; Stormy, Mercy House resident.
