>>> THERE'S A NEW SPACE IN GREENFIELD TO PROVIDE COMFORT
AND REST FOR PEOPLE IN CRISIS WHO DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GO
DURING TE DAY.
IT'S CALLED "THE LIVING ROOM."
, AND IT'S LOCATED ON HIGH STREET.
CAROLEE McGRATH SAT DOWN WITH COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES, AT
CLINICAL AND SUPPORT OPTIONS AND PEER SPECIALIST, ROSA WHELPLEY
TO LEARN MORE.
>> THE LIVING ROOM IS LOCATED IN GREENFIELD.
IT'S AT 140 HIGH STREET, AND MANY PEOPLE KNOW IT AS THE
FORMER SITE OF THE CRISIS SERVICES PROGRAM IN GREENFIELD.
IT IS OPEN TO VIRTUALLY ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO VISIT IT.
PEOPLE WHO VISIT IT, WE CALL "GUESTS," AND WE CAN HAVE
ANYWHERE FROM, YOU KNOW, ONE TO 14 PEOPLE AT A TIME VISITING.
WHILE PEOPLE ARE VISITING, THEY MAY BE DOING A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT THINGS.
IT REALLY PERFORMS, OFFERS A DIFFERENT KIND OF HELP TO
DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
IT -- ONE OF THE REALLY GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT IS THAT IT
DOESN'T HAVE REQUIREMENTS AS TO WHO CAN BE VISITING OR COMING TO
USE THE SERVICE.
WE CALL OUR VISITORS GUESTS AND GUESTS MAY BE THERE FOR ANY
NUMBER OF REASONS.
>> CAN YOU TELL US FOR THE REASONS THEY MIGHT BE THERE FOR?
>> WELL, OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO BE AN ALTERNATIVE SERVICE, AND
WE ARE -- WE WANT TO SERVE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAY OTHERWISE END
UP IN CRISIS, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, AND THE KINDS OF PEOPLE
WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN USING THE SERVICE MAY BE PEOPLE WHO
HAVE HOUSING ISSUES.
THEY MAY BE PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE
ISSUES, THEY HAVE EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS OR LOOKING FOR SUPPORT,
AND WE ARE BOTH A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO, AND WE'RE
ALSO PLACED WHERE THEY CAN GET HELP IN GETTING RESOURCES, AND,
ADDITIONALLY, WE PROVIDE SOME CONCRETE SUPPORT SUCH AS PERSON
CAN DO THEIR LAUNDRY THERE.
THEY CAN HAVE A SNACK AND SOCIALIZE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
THEY EVEN CAN TAKE A SHOWER, IF THERE'S
THAT'S SOMETHING THEY NEED TO DO, AND EACH PERSON WHO VISITS
THE LIVING ROOM HAS A MEETING WITH THE STAFF WHEN THEY COME,
ANY DAY THEY COME, THEY MEET WITH STAFF, AND CLARIFY, YOU
KNOW, WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THEY ARE LOOKING FOR THAT
DAY.
>> UH-HUH, SO, FROM A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE, THE FACT YOU CAN
TAKE A SHOWER AND DO YOUR LAUNDRY, SOMETHING WE TAKE FOR
GRANTED, RIGHT, NOT TO HAVE A PLACE TO REST DURING THE DAY AND
DO THE THINGS YOU NEED, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO FUNCTION OR
FEEL LIKE YOU'RE FUNCTIONING IN MANY WAYS, HOW IMPORTANT IS THE
SERVICE, JUST THE PRACTICAL PIECES, YOU KNOW, TO PEOPLE WHO
COME IN AND YOU MEET WITH?
>> I MEAN, I THINK FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S THE ONLY SPACE THEY
HAVE TO DO THAT, IN FRANKLIN COUNTY.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OTHER SERVICES IN GREENFIELD WHERE YOU
CAN TAKE A SHOWER OR CATCH A MEAL IN THE MORNING, BUT I THINK
THAT THE DAYTIME SERVICES ARE PRETTY LIMITED SO WE HAVE A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE OUR SERVICES
BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE FOR THEM TO SHOWER OR TO MAKE A
SANDWICH AND JUST RELAX.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST NEED A PLACE TO RELAX.
>> AND TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE AND KNOW THEY ARE SUPPORTED.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR JOB, YOUR PEER SPECIALIST.
>> TOTALLY.
SO, YE, I'M A PEER.
I AM IN RECOVERY FOR QUITE A WHILE.
THAT HAS QUALIFIED ME TO BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB OF A PEER, WHICH
IS A SORT OF NONJUDGMENTAL EQUAL EAR TO THE PERSON SO IT
SEPARATES ME FROM A STANDARD CLINICIAN, AND SO I HAVE THE
LIVED EXPERIENCE OF SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, AND SO I THINK
THAT THEY ARE A LITTLE MORE OPEN TO TALKING TO SOMEBODY WHO HAS
BE THROUGH SIMILAR THINGS AS THEY HAVE.
>> BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN THERE.
>> BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THERE.
>> SOMETIME IT'S HARD TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN
THERE, A CLINICIAN OR OTHERWISE, A FAMILY MEMBER, IT'S HARD.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> IF YOU LIVED IT AND DEALT WITH OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES,
IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
>> TOTALLY.
I THINK THE JUDGMENT PIECE IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
I THINK THAT THE MEETING SOMEBODY WHERE THEY ARE AT IN
MUTUAL EXCHANGE IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR GUESTS.
>> SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU CALL PEOPLE
"GUSTS," WHICH, JUST SUCH A NICE TERM, AND IT SORT OF CHANGES THE
DYNAMIC FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLING, WHO MIGHT BE AFRAID TO SEEK HELP
BECAUSE THEY FEEL LESSER THAN, BUT HERE YOU SAY, LISTEN, YOU'RE
COMING IN, YOU'RE MY GUEST.
THAT REALLY CHANGES, I'M SURE, THE CONVERSATION AND HOW THEY
FEEL ABOUT THEIR SITUATION AND THEMSELVES.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE, AND THE FACT THAT
WE CALL IT A "LIVING ROOM," WHILE THAT'S A TERM THAT IS USED
FOR COMPARABLE PROGRAMS IN OTHER PLACES IN THE STATE AND THE
COUNTRY, IT'S REALLY VERY SIMPLE, SIMPLY A PLACE WHERE
PEOPLE CAN COME AND FEEL THE WAY ANYBODY WOULD FEEL IN THEIR
LIVING ROOM.
THEY CAN FEEL SAFE.
THEY CAN KNOW THERE WON'T BE TOXIC LANGUAGE.
THERE'S NOT SUBSTANCE USED.
THERE'S NOT BULLYING.
IT'S GOING TO BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN BE COMFORTABLE DURING
THE DAY, AND, AGAIN, AS I SAID BEFORE, THEY MIGHT USE THE
SETTING FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF HELP.
>> OKAY.
ULTIMATELY, OBVIOUSLY, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THEM HAVE THEIR OWN
SPACE, RIGHT, AND FOR PEOPLE TO BECOME INDEPENDENT, TO BE ABLE
TO RECOVER, AND I KNOW RECOVERY IS LIFELONG, BUT TO GET TO THAT
SPOT WHERE YOU ARE AT, HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE PEOPLE THIS IS NOT
THE END FOR YOU?
THERE'S SOMETHING BETTER UP THE ROAD, BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP
PERSEVERING.
>> PEOPLE WANT TO BE CONNECTED TO OUTSIDE SERVICES SO AS A
PEER, I DO THAT, CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH LOCAL HOUSING
ORGANIZATIONS, WITH PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE JOB OPPORTUNITIES,
GROUPS THAT HAPPEN THERE WHERE WE TALK ABOUT RECOVERY TOGETHER
OR DO SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AND FUN AS GARDENING IN THE
BACKYARD.
THERE'S A MYRIAD OF WAYS TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT THIS IS NOT THE END
AND THERE'S SO MUCH MORE OUT THERE FOR THEM.
>> AND, ALSO, IN ADDITION, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE MENTIONED
BEFORE WE WERE ON CAMERA, THERE'S ART GROUPS AS WELL.
TALK ABOUT THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF GARDENING, I FIND IT, STARTING
FROM THE BEGINNING AND ENDING WITH SOMETHING THAT BEAUTIFUL
THAT GROWS OR ART, CREATING SOMETHING OUT OF, YOU KNOW,
PERHAPS, YOUR SORROW.
>> TOTALLY.
I THINK, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO GARDENING, I THINK
EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD IS REALLY IMPORTANT,
AND ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE A YARD OF THEIR
OWN ARIAN O HOME OF THEIR OWN OR WORRIED ABOUT WHERE TO LAY THEIR
HEAD THAT NIGHT, BUT TO COME TO THIS PLACE EVERY DAY AND CHECK
ON THE GARDEN AND TAKE THE FRESH PRODUCE AWAY WITH THEM, I MEAN,
NOT EVERYBODY THAT COMES DOES THAT, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT DO,
THEY REALLY APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE THAT'S THE EFFECTS OF
THEIR LABOR.
>> RIGHT.
GIVES YOU A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AS WELL, WOULD
YOU AGREE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THE -- BUT IT -- JUST TO KIND OF CLARIFY WHAT KIND OF ALTERNATIVE
IT IS, IT'S NOT REALLY A TREATMENT PROGRAM AS YOU WOULD
PICTURE OTHER TREATMENT PROGRAMS.
THERAPY IS NOT -- THERAPY HAPPENS, BUT IT'S NOT A GOAL.
>> RIGHT.
>> THE -- THE UNUSUAL ASPECT OF THE LIVING ROOM AND WHY IT IS AN
ALTERNATIVE IS THAT IT'S MORE OF A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN
CONNECT, AND SO WHILE THEY ARE ALSO GETTING SERVICES, THAT
ELEMENT OF CONNECTION AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEER SPECIALISTS
OFFER IS HOPE, AND THAT'S REALLY A KEY TO THE CULTURE THAT WE TRY
TO CREATE IN THIS SETTING.