Catholic Charities of Herkimer County plans to open to expand its RISE Recovery Community Outreach Center in Herkimer, which supports people in recovery from substance use disorder, to another site designated for youth services, officials said.
The news follows an announcement by Gov. Kathy Hochul on July 30 that the nonprofit has been awarded a $510,000 state grant to expand services for youth ages 12 to 17 who are in recovery.
In total, Hochul announced 12 grants worth nearly $6 million from the New York State Opiod Settlement Fund to be used for new or expanded youth services at Recovery Community and Outreach Centers across the state.
“As part of my State of the State address in January, I made a commitment to ensuring that young New Yorkers are protected and have the tools and resources they need to live healthy, productive lives,” Hochul said in a statement. “With this important initiative, we are increasing youth-focused services across the state, giving young people more opportunities to find the help and support they need and deserve.”
What Catholic Charities will do with the money
Catholic Charities of Herkimer County is in the process of getting additional space in Herkimer for a youth “drop-in” center, said Melissa Snyder, director of prevention and recovery services. It will offer youth services in a place totally separate from the nonprofit’s services for adults, she said.
Those free services might include, depending on a teen’s needs, peer support, evidence-based education, brief intervention, recreation/fun, support groups, socialization, prevention and intervention initiatives and wellness activities.
The nonprofit has received funding to buy a vehicle to give youth better access to the center, Snyder said.
The center, which will serve Herkimer County youth as well as youth from surrounding areas without similar services, is projected to open in April 2027, Snyder said. Its tentative hours will be from 1:30 to 8 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Illustrating the need
To illustrate the need for the new center, Snyder shared some Herkimer County statistics that were included in the grant application.
They are from the 2023-2024 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of students in grades 9 to 12:
The application then stated that there is not enough help or accessible enough help for teens. Only 17.4% of youth experiencing emotional distress said they received the help they needed “most of the time” or “always.,” according to the risk survey.
And 40% said they don’t take part in after-school activities.
“As a rural county, Herkimer faces ongoing challenges related to transportation access, workforce shortages in the behavioral health fields, limited youth recreational programming and barriers to free support services,” the application explained. “The findings from this needs assessment clearly demonstrate that Herkimer County youth are experiencing elevated rates of substance misuse, social-emotional distress and environmental risk factors while simultaneously facing limited access to services.”
“Our recovery centers play an important role in helping New Yorkers and their families impacted by addiction,” said Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, in a statement. “And (these grants) will help to further expand these services to young people who can be especially vulnerable to the effects of substance use.”
The state has received $2.8 billion through settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. A portion of that funding goes directly to municipalities and the rest goes into a fund to support prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: State grant helps fund new drop-in recovery center coming to Herkimer
Reporting by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
