One of the gray-shingled buildings on the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS) campus is now decorated with red paint, a homage to the name of the peer-run recovery center that recently set up shop inside.
Staff at the Red House, the Island’s substance-use peer recovery support center, where more than 100 people attend meetings, meals, and classes daily, officially moved operations to the MVCS campus in March after their lease ended at the previous residence.
The center was located next to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for years in a red house, hence the name. But last April, the hospital announced it was not renewing its 10-year lease due to plans to expand its specialist services.
With 10 months to find a new location, the Red House eventually moved closer to the larger program they already operate under: MVCS. The move was announced in January, but the process to set up shop at the new location took a few months. Robert Cropper, director of recovery management services, said the transition, which culminated this spring, was smooth.
“We love the new space,” Cropper told The Times. “It gives us room to grow and to offer more recovery meetings to represent the many different paths to recovery.”
Staff and recovery coaches milled about the building on a recent Thursday afternoon as the sun streamed in through the windows. The center has more than 350 members, and offers continued care for those navigating substance-use issues. On an Island where mental health and substance-use are some of the top concerns of health officials, Cropper pointed to the benefit of a peer-run mainstay.
“If someone is facing a substance-use crisis, the Red House and its staff, Stacy, John and TJ, always offer a smiling face and gentle hand to help you find your way, whether it be a detox referral, treatment suggestion, sober-living situation, or to just lend an ear,” Cropper said. “Being peers, we know how difficult this process can be. But with friends, the path is a bit smoother and less scary.”
The new space has the same offerings, but larger accommodation. At 2,400 square feet, the staff have more space to conduct their programs, which include recovery support for individuals and their families. The building is ADA-accessible and has a commercial kitchen, private offices, and meeting room. It’s in Building D on the MVCS campus in Oak Bluffs, next to the Island Counseling Center. Cropper said the accessibility to mental health services is a significant improvement.
“As a peer recovery center, we do not offer services per se, but we facilitate the connections to services. So we no longer are sending people off to a distant, unknown facility, but merely walking them across the lot to the counseling center,” Cropper said.