Chicago recovery center helps combat city's opioid crisis by focusing on employment, family support

The opioid epidemic has impacted every community across Chicago, with opioid-related overdose deaths outpacing homicides and traffic fatalities in 2022. Nearly a third of those deaths occurred in five West Side neighborhoods, a stark reminder of the ongoing crisis.

The backstory:

Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition (CRCC) was established in 2014 and is the only recovery center on the West Side. 

The vision to start CRCC began in 1987 when Dora Dantzler-Wright began her road to recovery. She has spent most of her life in the Austin neighborhood, but had to travel 12 miles north to the Rogers Park community to access resources that would aid in her recovery. 

"I've walked that walk, I know some of the high points," said Dantzler-Wright. "I know some of the low points. I know what it takes to get to the other side."

She founded CRCC with her husband, John Wright. They’re both very open about their own struggles with addiction. 

"I can better relate to what they're going through, the potholes, the landmines that might be there, so that I can help guide them to show them the right way," said John. 

Dig deeper:

One of the founding principles of Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition (CRCC) is to reduce the stigma associated with addiction. 

Family members are not only invited but encouraged to join their loved one during the recovery process. The next step is consistent employment.

"To see them growing, to see them still at that same place of employment to be, to gain the trust of that agency where now they have keys. Now they open the doors for that agency, they come back and when they see us, their face just lights up," said John Wright."

The CRCC office, located at 4628 W Washington Blvd, is full of examples that recovery is possible. 

"I learned a lot of different skills, like life skills, recovery support services, boundaries, time management," said Candace Bramford, who went through the CRCC program and now works as a peer support specialist.  "I learned a lot of different things in those groups. After 10 weeks, they saw something in me that I was not quite seeing in myself at that moment, and I was hired on. So, now I'm giving back what was given to me."

Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition shares a space with the New Evangelical Bible Church. Their goal is to eventually have their own building. Then they can have walk-in services throughout the night, so people can access life-saving medical supplies like Narcan which reverses an opioid overdose. 

The Source: Information in this article was provided by CRCC.

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