Like Dorthory from the Wizard of Oz said, “There’s no place like home.” This time though you won’t have to click your heels together three times to see the magic.
On July 24, Project WisHope launched the “There’s No Place Like Home” Capital Campaign. Some of the speakers at the launch were Ryan Rehak, Director of Community Engagement and Melissa Baxter, Waukesha County Community Foundation President.
“When people come into a living environment, one of the things we truly believe in is being able to provide somebody with a place that feels like home,” said Peter Brunzelle, Executive Director of Project WisHope during a press release. “The environment we create is a key factor in the success of those in our programs recovery from addiction and mental health.”
Project WisHope is a non-profit, peer-run Recovery Community Organization founded in 2016. It’s based out in Waukesha and serves the state of Wisconsin. The goal of the non-profit organization is to provide resources, education, advocacy and to support Wisconsin’s recovery community members.
This includes those who have been directly impacted by addiction and mental health conditions. It also helps the person’s family members, friends and allies.
“We started building the residential pieces of our programming because when people were calling us, there were quite a few people in our area that didn’t have housing or safe housing,” continued Brunzelle. “So we were looking for ways to support them and then to build a program around it, because when people came to us… they quite often needed more.”
According to the organization, nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin residents have friends or family members that have struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.
It’s estimated that there are tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents living recovery and more who are currently battling with substance abuse and mental disorders.
Members of the organization are housed at the Enter Recovery Village, a 24-apartment unit sober living community in Waukesha. There members in the program can receive safe and affordable housing, peer and group support, health eating and exercise opportunities, job counseling and placement and more.
Ryan Rehak stated the program is an incredible tool to serve those in our community in need of this kind of support and feels like they can continue to be strong leaders in aiding those in recovery in a unique way.
Support from the community is crucial in the Recovery Village Capital Campaign. The campaign currently has a goal of raising $1 million.
“Since 2016, over 2,000 individuals have participated in our recovery housing program,” said Rehak during the event. “Your support of our work will only grow that number exponentially, and increase the quality of care we can provide.”
The campaign is now live and gifts are being accepted through the Waukesha County Community Foundation.
For more information visit here.
