The YMCA, which has pivoted its efforts to respond to the community’s most critical needs, specifically in the area of child care for essential health care workers, hosted the Charlotte Rescue Mission Rebound and Dove’s Nest residents.
Charlotte Rescue Mission’s free, 120-day residential recovery programs help people struggling with addiction achieve sobriety, find stable housing and work, and restore and build healthy relationships.
The isolating and restrictive effects of COVID-19 can increase feelings of anxiety and depression in recovering addicts and those feelings, in turn, can trigger a relapse or exit from a recovery program.
The mission’s residential recovery participants operate under the same stay at home mandate as the rest of the community and can lack opportunity and access to fresh air, natural sunlight and socially-distanced outdoor activity.
After working through details with county officials, YMCA of Greater Charlotte opened its Camp Thunderbird campus to the mission’s recovery program participants.
With a careful focus on social distancing and strict adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health and hygiene guidelines, Camp Thunderbird hosted 72 of CRM’s Rebound for Men participants and four staff for lunch, activities and socially-distanced time in the outdoors.
“The residents have been sheltered in place together for 21 days and operate as a family unit, eating, living and interacting daily. We needed a creative way to serve them during this pandemic and the Y answered,” said Tony Marciano, president and CEO of Charlotte Rescue Mission. “The joy and freedom one can experience with fresh air and outdoor scenery is truly healing.”
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