NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The Have Hope Recovery Peer Center has found a permanent place in North Adams for people to have access to their resources for recovery.

“We’ve been working really hard with the community, building the community around this and bringing awareness to the peer recovery support center," said John Crane, the assistant division director at the Brien Center. "And really working hard with boots on the ground to really, literally have the community a part of building this support center.”

The facility uses a nonclinical, nontreatment-based philosophy geared towards helping those in recovery with different needs. The goal is to help people with employment opportunities, housing applications, providing people with peer support or just providing a place where people can come.

“It’s a place where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, and have fun and get resources, and this will be a place where everybody is accepted,” said Rebecca Dodge, the center's director.

They will also offer recovery-based meetings with recovery coaches, as well as art therapy, dance and even yoga on some occasions - anything someone may want to learn and do.

“We’ve all been affected by addiction and mental health," Crane said. "The community in North Adams is no stranger to both recovery and the negatives of addiction, and so we’ve realized here with the community involved that this was a need, and we realize that in this community again addiction doesn’t discriminate against anybody. This community is a place in which the recovery center is just going to be a perfect fit to support people.”

This center is supported through the Brien Center with a five-year state Bureau of Substance and Addiction Services contract. They are currently operating at 37 Main Street, suite 201 Monday through Friday but will soon expand to more hours on March 22.