Recovery Community Organization opens in Beckley

May 10—A new resource for anyone impacted by the opioid epidemic from those in recovery to their family and the community was unveiled Wednesday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in downtown Beckley.

The ceremony took place on the top floor of the Fruits of Labor building on Neville Street in Beckley, where the local leaders and community members were introduced to Seed Sower's Recovery Community Organization (RCO).

RCOs existed in several states bordering West Virginia and are independent non-profits, led and governed by people in recovery, family members, friends and allies. Their primary missions are to organize recovery-focused policy advocacy activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs and provide peer recovery support services.

"In a nutshell, it's a one-stop shop for recovery," said Justin Rogers, program director for the RCO in Beckley, which has been nicknamed The Well.

"In recovery, connections are so important — connections to resources, connections to outside networks, to other programs, whatever the case may be," Rogers said. "And we are just really that conductor to help people connect with other entities."

Rogers said they also facilitate recovery dynamics and smart recovery, provide peer support and hold meetings for Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and All Pathways.

Although Wednesday's ribbon cutting was the first time many in the community heard about The Well, Jay Phillips, executive director of Seed Sower, said it has been up and running for a few weeks and already has 40 clients.

"We've already enrolled I think upwards of 40 participants through agreements with things like the Family Treatment Court and the Raleigh County Day Report Center — working with them to provide an additional layer of service for their participants," Phillips said.

Sherry Harrah, the Raleigh County Adult Drug Court case manager, and Tim Luikart, the Raleigh County Adult Drug Court probation officer, said The Well is a welcome resource to their participants in drug court.

"Drug court is a program for people that have a substance abuse disorder that is in the criminal justice system," Luikart said. "It gives them an opportunity to not just be supervised like you would on standard probation but it's an opportunity for them to work on addressing their substance use disorder and work on changing their life."

Luikart said The Well will be especially vital to graduates of drug court.

"After they graduate for drug court, they need those connections that help them in the recovery community instead of just leaving (drug court) and being out on their own," he said.

Harrah said they already have several of their Drug Court clients connected with The Well so that it can be a trusted resource once they graduate.

Harrah said The Well is also a place for the family members of those in recovery.

"I think it's very important because I don't think people realize how it affects everyone in the family. So I think it's great," she said.

Unlike other programs offered by Seed Sower, Phillips said The Well has no limitations on the number of people it's able to serve.

"It is not limited to the residential space like my other houses are," he said. "This is for anybody in recovery or families of people in recovery who need support and service."

The Well, located at 313 Neville St. in Beckley, is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is located on the top floor of the Fruits of Labor building but has its own private entrance. To contact support staff at The Well, call 304-392-5222.

The Well is the only RCO in southern West Virginia and is funded by the WV DHHR Bureau for Behavioral Health.

The state has also funded five other RCOs that are located north of Huntington.

At its core, Phillips said Seed Sower is "a residential recovery services provider."

It has three locations in West Virginia that are all certified by the National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR).

Phillips said Seed Sower houses in Dawson and Montgomery have level three certifications, which means that the people in recovery staying at these facilities are supervised and supported around the clock by peer recovery support staff.

Seed Sower's first recovery house opened in 2021 in Dawson, W.Va., and is nicknamed The Village. It has 16 beds and currently houses many of the workers employed at the Fruits of Labor in Beckley as part of the restaurant's recovery program that trains participants in the culinary arts.

Women living at The Village also receive transportation to and from Fruits of Labor.

Phillips said the Dawson house also has four beds reserved for "respite care," or women who are coming straight out of a detox program or for those who have experienced a recurrence or return to use.

For all their medical needs, Phillips said they refer their residents to health care providers in the area.

One of Seed Sower's most recent recovery houses is in Montgomery, called Seed Sower Manor, and is for women in recovery who are pregnant or have children under the age of 2.

"It actually opened this month. We had our first few residents there last week — a mother with a 2-year-old little girl and a young pregnant lady in recovery," Phillips said.

Phillips said the Manor is one of only four Pregnant and Parenting Women (PPW) programs in West Virginia.

The latest Seed Sower house to open is in Beckley and has 12 beds along with a detached apartment where someone can stay with a child.

Unlike the Dawson house, Phillips said the Beckley recovery house has a level two certification from NARR, which means a supervisor is not on site at all hours.

Phillips said the Beckley house will be great for graduates of Seed Sower's level three housing in Dawson and Montgomery.

"Our Dawson and Montgomery programs are a year to 16 months in length, depending on where you are at," he said. "It takes a full five years for someone in recovery for their relapse risk rate to drop to 15 percent or less, which is the same risk rate people who've never done drugs stand of starting to do drugs ... Our vision has always been consistent positive engagement for five years, and the Beckley house fulfills that vision because it provides a pipeline for my ladies in the Dawson and Montgomery residences to then step into more independent transitional living in Beckley while still working at Fruits of Labor."

Phillips said these houses are funded through a combination of state and federal grant funding, program fees from residents and donations.

For more information about Seed Sower go to seedsowerinc.org or follow then on Facebook at facebook.com/seedsowerinc.