In April, Vatreisha Nyemba, Compliance and Program Development Manager for the Cuyahoga Land Bank participated in the National Council for Behavioral Health’s NatCon18 Conference in Washington D.C. The annual conference brings together more than 5,000 leaders to explore healthcare’s greatest innovations in practice improvement, financing, integrated health care, technology, policy and advocacy. Nyemba participated in a workshop addressing homelessness and addiction and the financial sustainability of recovery housing.
“With funding for recovery housing being so limited, it is important for treatment and recovery support providers to understand how to explore non-traditional partnerships,” says Stephanie Pellitt, Policy and Advocacy Associate for the National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH). “Your experience in Cleveland shows how multiple organizations with the mission of addressing homelessness and addiction can come together to financially sustain resources like recovery housing that otherwise wouldn’t even exist.”
Since 2015, the Cuyahoga Land Bank has worked collaboratively with dozens of social service, faith-based and non-profit organizations to identify unique property uses that address housing needs, including recovery housing.
“I learned about the vital importance of recovery housing, how to engage young people, and strategies to coordinate multiple sectors and stakeholders,” says Nyemba. “My experience at the conference was eye-opening as to the importance of making considerations around behavioral health as we approach community development.”
The NCBH recently published the first-ever policy guide for expanding quality recovery housing titled Building Recovery: State Policy Guide for Supporting Recovery Housing. It calls on states to adopt recovery housing quality standards, establish a certification program and support recovery residences as they work to meet nationally-recognized standards. Read the guide HERE.