In 2000, Judge Thomas Merrigan, First Justice of the Orange District Court, approached RDI with the idea of creating a recovery house for men in Orange. RDI assembled a local project team to make Judge Merrigan’s dream a reality. The team, comprised of staff from RDI, Beacon Programs of the Franklin Medical Center, the state representative from Orange, the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services of the MA Department of Public Health, and Franklin County Drug Court, garnered community support for the project. Their efforts started with the Orange Chief of Police, who was quickly convinced of the need for community-based services in his town.
In June 2001, RDI acquired a two-story Victorian home in downtown Orange for the future recovery house. Construction on the project began in October of 2005 and the building was ready for occupancy on July 1, 2006. Orange Recovery House is a 16 bed sober and substance free living environment for men. This unique facility offers housing and services geared towards educating and supporting persons who are in recovery.
Services and eligibility criteria are administered by ServiceNet. Call (413) 585-1300 for more information.