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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) – A local non-profit has opened a newly renovated program that will serve men struggling with recovery from drugs and alcohol.
On Monday, Volunteers of American of Massachusetts (VOAMASS) held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the agency’s newly renovated Men’s Hello House. The expanded, 28-bed space will offer trauma-informed and integrated clinical support services for men living with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse.
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Charles Gagnon, President and CEO of VOAMASS, said the house and its programs are designed to treat the whole person.
“We are going to provide whole-person care for every participant,” he said. “It’s a program for men. It’s been here for over 60 years. We’re going to continue that tradition of carrying people and providing new opportunities for tomorrow.”
VOAMASS works to serve low-income, homeless and vulnerable populations throughout eastern Massachusetts. The organization creates opportunities for individuals through residential and outpatient behavioral health treatment, re-entry for justice-involved individuals, veteran services and senior living.
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For State Senator John Keenan, this cause is personal. He spoke about his father needing this kind of treatment and said these men are real people in need of real assistance.
“They are not dead ends,” Keenan said. “I have talked to so many over the years and I would tell you what has impressed me most is that when somebody goes through treatment and recovery, when you see who they are, it is absolutely amazing.”
The organization believed placing the house close to Mass and Cass will best help support VOAMASS’s mission to help people in recovery.
WBZ’s Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) was there:
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