Senior Staff For Hope House Announced

Transitional Facility Set To Open Next Month

Rockbridge Recovery has announced it will be fully staffed in anticipation of the opening of Hope House in April.

Hope House, a six-man transitional facility for those in recovery, will open in Buena Vista and will be the first facility of its kind in the area.

The Hope House is being guided by an advisory board of professionals and will be certified through the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR).

It will be operated by Rockbridge Recovery, which has been offering a variety of services for the community for nearly two years. It serves as a peer drop-in center offering one-on-one peer sessions without an appointment, group meetings, fitness and wellness center, meals for clients and laundry facilities. Groups include Narcotics Anonymous, Grief Support, SMART Recovery, Peer Support Group and Friends/Family Group. It also is the area’s only harm reduction site offering REVIVE training, nalaxone, fentanyl test strips, condoms and resource materials for area services.

Senior staff joining Rockbridge Recovery are Chelsea Henry, executive director, Michael Taylor, program director, and Thomas Whitlock, peer coach.

Henry holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in business administration from Liberty University. She most recently worked for Blue Ridge Court Services where she saw the need for Rockbridge Recovery and the services it provides to the area.

Henry had ongoing communication with clients to ensure they are following court-ordered conditions while working with multiple stakeholders across different departments. She had daily interactions with judges, commonwealth’s attorneys, and defense attorneys to develop productive action plans for clients, managing a caseload of over 125 probationers, while ensuring help and resources were provided by visiting jails to screen inmates for rehabilitation programs.

“I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to help Rockbridge Recovery clients receive all the resources available to them and an opportunity to maintain long term recovery,” said Henry.

Taylor has over 30 years of experience as a probation officer and formerly worked as director of the Abrexas House where he supervised staff in a group home setting. In this role, he assisted paroled youth with skills to be able to return to the community and become productive citizens, monitored budgets and enforced policies and procedures.

He assisted residents in finding employment and setting up bank accounts to budget their money, handled medication management and enrolled them in education programs. He had oversight of the staff scheduling, coordinated transportation and kept a good relationship with community partners, scheduled team building experiences and community services events.

“We cannot imagine a better candidate to run the Hope House,” said Lori Turner, fiscal manager of the project. “Michael brings every aspect of experience and knowledge imaginable to the organization.”

Whitlock will serve as a peer coach at both the Rockbridge Recovery center and the Hope House. He brings a wealth of lived experience and knowledge to the position. He currently works as a peer recovery specialist and industries instructor at the Rockbridge Regional Jail. In this capacity, he supports inmates with group sessions, one-on-one peer meetings and teaches skilled trades to ready them for gainful employment upon release.

“I am thrilled to join Rockbridge Recovery and begin changing lives,” said Whitlock. “I will be positioned to help clients find and maintain their sober lifestyle while meeting their long-term recovery goals.”

Welcoming Henry, Taylor and Whitlock will be program administrator Lisa Houck, who works daily to support the clients and assist them in sustaining long-term recovery from substance abuse. She has a strong background which has equipped her for a career in addiction and recovery. She is a certified peer support recovery specialist, certified in SMART recovery and is a REVIVE trainer.

Houck has experience in conducting groups, one-onone peer counseling and facilitating direct client care. She worked with clients daily to set up substance abuse services and social services, and acts as an advocate on their behalf. She has experience in medical recordkeeping, intake and assessment, developing treatment plans and is dedicated to serving those in need. She has a strong passion for long-term recovery.

Henry will be working hand in hand with Rockbridge Recovery staff, and their adviser, Jeri Schaff, to develop community outreach and form partnerships while seeking grant funding for the treatment of addiction and the Hope House.

“We are very blessed to have Jeri as a mentor as Chelsea navigates into her new role, said Dr. Laura Kornegay, chairman of the board of directors. “Jeri has been managing not-for-profits for over 30 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the organization.”

- When asked why Rockbridge Recovery and Hope House are so important, Taylor replied, “There’s an overwhelming need for housing in the recovery community. This is one of the most important parts of the recovery process.

“The Hope House will provide trained peer support specialist staff in an affordable, stable and substance-free environment,” he continued. “Sober living is the next step to transition back into everyday life after treatment. The staff will provide valuable services, which include helping residents build a resume, reclaim a driver’s license, build healthy relationships and more. Residents also attend groups regularly and participate in events together, to build a rapport and support each other in their recovery journey.”

Sober living is a lifestyle characterized by healthy behaviors, Taylor said. “It doesn’t include isolation. It includes building relationships, supporting others and practicing healthy ways to overcome triggers.”

Establishing a sober lifestyle, Taylor continued, is difficult during the early stages of recovery. “Rockbridge Recovery provides clients a safe place to go, a place where they are free of triggers and surrounded by social support, and the Hope House will employ compassionate staff that support the recovery process,” he said.

Henry added, “Rockbridge Recovery is working hard to serve those who are seeking long-term recovery from substance abuse in the region.

“We will be focused on finding ways to sustain and grow our services to provide the best possible options for the clients who depend on us for their ongoing recovery,” she said.

“I am incredibly impressed by the support the Rockbridge community has given to this program,” continued Henry. “Local governments, foundations, businesses, churches, trades people, suppliers, and individuals have stepped up in so many ways to make Rockbridge Recovery and Hope House possible. Because the people we serve have little, if any, financial capability, we will continue to need our neighbors’ generosity to continue.

“I invite anyone who is interested in helping, whether that is with a financial donation, volunteering, or providing groceries for Hope House or a meal for a group counseling session to call me at (540) 572-2312 or mail donations to P.O. Box 583, Buena Vista, VA 24416.”