State DHHS leaders visit Place of Grace Campus

 ROCKINGHAM — Leaders from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services visited the Place of Grace Campus Tuesday, Jan. 20 to meet with Richmond County Rescue Mission staff and community partners advancing a coordinated response to substance use disorder, homelessness, and behavioral health needs in Richmond County.

The visit brought together local providers and program stakeholders for an on-site conversation about recovery housing support, evidence-based treatment connections, and workforce preparation. These are services RCRM and its partners describe as critical to helping residents stabilize, recover, and return to independent living.

A campus built around stabilization, recovery, and self-sufficiency

RCRM’s “From the Street to Your Feet” program is designed as a structured recovery and empowerment journey that begins with stabilization and continues through vocational training and housing support. The model integrates safe, stable housing with counseling, peer support, and wraparound services to support long-term recovery and community reintegration.

RCRM’s approach is grounded in what it calls a Restorative Recovery Model, which combines evidence-based interventions such as Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), peer support, and case management along with practical supports like life skills development, education, job training, and family involvement.

The program outlines a clear, phased pathway:

• Phase 1 (Days 1–45): Immediate stabilization, detox/medical support, and counseling support
• Phase 2 (1–6 months): Vocational rehabilitation, GED/adult education, and job readiness
• Phase 3 (1–3 months): Leadership development and community service
• Phase 4: Career track planning and housing stability supports, including rapid rehousing strategies

A statewide agency visit focused on local collaboration

During the visit, DHHS Director Kelly Crosbie and DHHS team members Fiorella Horna and DeDe Severino met with RCRM leadership, local behavioral health providers, workforce and education partners.

Also present were:

• Susan Smith, RCRM in-house LMHC
• Tamiko Murphy and Terri Howard, Assurance Life Learning Center (ALLC) and Recovery Pathway
• Dr. Tammie Gainey, Sandhills Best Care
• Jorge Flores, program director, RCRM
• Pastor Gary Richardson, Place of Grace Church
• David Lowery, Wellcare
• Rocio Anderson, Fiesta Family Services
• Ana Blackburn, NC Community Health Worker, Women Leading Together
• Nichole Worley, dean of Adult Education, Richmond Community College 

RCRM leaders say the gathering reflects the “network of care” required for sustained recovery where housing stability, clinical care, peer support, education and employment pathways operate as a single continuum rather than disconnected services.

Housing as the foundation for recovery

RCRM emphasizes housing as the starting point: a stable, recovery-focused environment where participants can maintain sobriety while connecting to treatment and rebuilding daily routines. The program’s service hub is located at 252 School St. in Rockingham, with partner agencies providing complementary behavioral health, medical, and workforce services across the county.

Affiliates named in the program include:

• Sandhills Best Care (behavioral health services and outpatient care, including MAT)
• Assurance Life Learning Center (ALLC) (counseling, peer support, recovery programming)
• Daymark Recovery Services (psychiatric and evidence-based SUD treatment)
• Goshen Medical Center (primary care and supportive health services)
• Richmond Community College (adult education, certifications, and job training)

Why it matters now

In addition to describing service delivery, RCRM’s frames the work as a response to an urgent regional reality: untreated substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health challenges often intersect with housing insecurity, unemployment, and family instability. The program’s measurable objectives include reducing relapse rates, improving employment readiness through training and certifications, transitioning participants into stable housing, improving mental health outcomes, and strengthening community reintegration.