Modesto center is a lifesaver for mothers. But the cost of healing families is going up.

For two decades, Redwood Family Center in Modesto has helped mothers who suffer from addiction and their children who suffer with them.

It was launched in 2003 with start-up funds provided by community members, large donors, United Way and Stanislaus County government.

The nonprofit Valley Recovery Resources, which oversees the program, has ramped up fundraising to mark the 20-year milestone, as Modesto reels from the fentanyl epidemic and an increase in demand for substance use treatment.

While 10 years ago methamphetamine addiction was common, the women who enter the program today often have a history of fentanyl use. The program, like everyone else, also is dealing with rising costs of inflation.

Redwood Family Center is a provider of drug detoxification, residential treatment and clean and sober housing for women and mothers who face losing their children if they don’t turn their lives around.

“It is a place of healing”

Frances Gonzales of Riverbank said she was able to put her broken life back together at Redwood.

Ten years ago, she was homeless and walking at night with her 2-year-old daughter, their belongings stuffed under the stroller. She was 6 months’ pregnant.

Gonzales went into the Redwood treatment program and it transformed her life. She became a better parent for her two younger kids and was reunited with her three older children. Today, she works as a drug and alcohol counselor.

“The community is blessed to have Redwood Family Center,” Gonzales said. “You get to keep your children and grow with them. It is a place of healing for the whole family.”

The center has a campaign this year raising funds for “scholarships” for women who desperately need help but are not eligible for government funding.

The cost of supporting a mother and children in the Redwood program was $32,850 in 2022. But inflation and other factors have driven the cost to $47,450 this year, a 44% increase, said Steve Berkowitz, executive director of Valley Recovery.

The rising costs include housing, utilities and fuel for transporting participants to training and parenting classes. The costs of mental health services, health care and other needs also keeps going up.

Help before child abuse occurs

Berkowitz said most mothers in the program have an open child welfare case qualifying them for government assistance as they receive help for their addiction, parenting skills, employment, behavior and living skills.

But other women living in domestic violence situations, who are struggling with drug addiction and unemployment, are not able to get government funding.

With the scholarship support, they can get clean and sober at Redwood and learn to live independently.

“We feel women and children in need should have access to service before child abuse occurs with the opportunity to keep their family together while living in a safe, supportive, clean and sober environment and receiving substance abuse disorder treatment,” Berkowitz said.

Redwood hopes to raise $237,250 annually to support five mothers and their children for one year in the program.

The nonprofit group has stepped up the campaign by speaking before service organizations, through direct mailers and use of contact lists.

Berkowitz said the cost of helping a mother break addiction and become self-supporting is far less than the cost impact of public assistance, Child Protective Services, foster care and homelessness.

“Life transformation and family reunification are priceless,” he added.

The Redwood program is a ministry of Valley Recovery Resources in Stanislaus County. It has substance use treatment housing for 24 women and 12 children, clean and sober housing with 60 beds for women and children, and graduate homes for up to 15 families.

The program has served more than 2,000 women and 3,500 children in the last 12 years and raised more than $2.8 million. For more information about supporting the program, people can visit the program’s website to make a secure donation. Click the donate tab or call Redwood at 209-550-7352.