Press release from Buncombe County Justice Resource Center:
Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, a nonprofit serving persons with mental health and substance use challenges, is moving from its West Asheville location to the Haywood St Congregation campus in January.
Sunrise was founded by a certified peer support specialist, Kevin Mahoney, a veteran who thought that peer support could help address gaps in the MH/SU service continuum, in 2014. “We started in at Kairos West Community Center in 2014, a space graciously provided by All Souls Episcopal Church outreach ministry”, said Mahoney, a 20 year Air Force veteran.
“We started with three volunteers, one of whom is still with us and we utilized the space a few hours a week to provide peer support to persons who needed that service, all on walk in basis”, continued Mahoney. “At the same time, we were working with another nonprofit, consisting of retired therapists, nurse practitioners, clinicians and business folks to give a “grass roots view” of the recovery systems in Buncombe. Some synchronous grant writing ensued and we subsequently acquired mental health block grants to start a recovery community center and start a voucher/services program”, he said.
Sunrise Community has since grown to encompass several programs, including a respite house for persons in “emotional distress”, community outreach for education about stigma and trauma, opioid overdose follow-up, felony drug diversion at the court level and education for MH /SU providers about peer support. Sunrise officially became a nonprofit in 2016, as the recovery community opened at N Louisiana Ave.
“The collaboration with Haywood St Congregation has evolved over time and is a natural synthesis of pastoral and peer care for the community at large. The location is more convenient to people in downtown area and it’s also on a well-traveled bus line”, Mahoney said
Sunrise will offer recovery meetings on the Haywood St campus throughout the week, and walk-in services Monday – Thursday between 9 and 3 from its office in Room 2. A Sunrise Community open house is scheduled for the 21st of January.
Haywood St Congregation is a ministry with and among folks experiencing homelessness, including many who live with mental health and substance use challenges. Haywood St operates the Downtown Welcome Table and is located at 297 Haywood St., at the intersection of Patton and Clingman Avenues.
Learn more about Haywood St Congregation at www.haywoodstreet.org.
Learn more about the Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness at www.sunriseinasheville.org.
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