Jeanne Zimmerman could not be more spot on.
As a father of a daughter who became addicted to opiates here in St. Johnsbury in the late 1990s, we had to send her back to her loving mom in Connecticut to get any treatment, as her Y2K 10-day stay at Brattleboro Retreat was the only thing available in Vermont at that point.
I have since been involved in recovery at all levels and helped to build out the recovery network here in Vermont. And housing is absolute key to recovery. Your chances drop to 10% if you are homeless.
Housing First, Vermont Foundation for Recovery, Recovery Partners of Vermont, and the like are paramount key to recovery, and then all the good things Jeanne mentions can happen. House Bill 222 seeks to address both recovery and recovery housing. Please support it!
Stephen Kline
St. Johnsbury
