Cambridge and Somerville Programs for Addiction Recovery

Cambridge and Somerville Programs for Addiction and Recovery(CASPAR) is a nonprofit organization aimed at providing comprehensive programming to individuals affected by substance abuse disorders, homelessness, and mental illness in the North-Boston metro area. Since July 2014 it has been affiliated with Bay Cove Health and Human Services.

History

Founded in 1970, CASPAR originated during a push to decriminalize alcoholism and offer appropriate addiction treatment options to those struggling with substance abuse. At the time of its founding, those struggling with alcoholism typically were directed to local hospital Emergency Rooms instead of specific programs targeted at helping those with substance abuse issues. CASPAR began its programming in the early 70s with the inception of a halfway house for men, and subsequently expanded into programs for women, homeless shelters, and temporary shelters.

In 1974, CASPAR began to look for a location to create a homeless shelter in Central Square for the large population of unhoused individuals with substance abuse issues. However, the search was not successful, and five years later, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology allowed CASPAR to set up a temporary Emergency Care Shelter at 240 Albany street next to their campus in the Area 2 of Cambridge. The land originally was leased to CASPAR, but in 1984 the center switched to being tenant-at-will status, meaning it did not pay rent.

In 1992, MIT worked with CASPAR in an attempt to find a new, permanent location for the ESC, and proposed an approximately $2 million plan to purchase and remodel 380 Green Street, which would locate the ESC near its original intended location. However, this proposal was received poorly by businesses and residents of the Central Square Area, and the plan to move the ESC to a new location in Central Square was eventually abandoned.

In 1993, CASPAR reached a deal with MIT, the City of Cambridge, and various housing and substance abuse advocacy groups to make 24 Albany Street the permanent location of the CASPAR Emergency Care Shelter, despite MIT’s previous ambitions to build graduate-student housing on that site. Through this agreement MIT agreed to lease the land to CASPAR for $1 per year as part of a twenty-year renewable lease. Additionally, with CASPAR’s input, MIT agreed to finance the design and construction of a permanent facility on the land.

In 1994, CASPAR unveiled its new 12,000 square foot, 55 bed facility on Albany street, constructed by HMFH Associates of Central Square. The opening of the permanent shelter marked the end of the lengthy civic battle over the future of the shelter.

COVID-19 Pandemic

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, CASPAR faced serious overcrowding at the ESC on Albany Street and established a Transition Wellness Center (TWC) at Mass General Brigham’s (MGB) Spaulding Hospital on Cambridge Street in Mid-Cambridge. The CASPAR TWC was funded by the City of Cambridge and is a newly renovated two-story facility with fifty-eight beds.

CASPAR Emergency Service Center

The CASPAR Emergency Service Center (ESC) continues to operate as a temporary shelter and resource center for homeless individuals in the Cambridge metro area. Notably, it is one of only three homeless shelters in Massachusetts that accepts and provides overnight services for those actively using drugs and/or alcohol.

Affiliated CASPAR Programs

In addition to the Albany St. ESC, CASPAR operates a multitude of programs in the Cambridge and Somerville area aimed at supporting addiction and recovery. Its First Step Outreach program “offers lifesaving alternatives to unsheltered men and women who are affected by substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and medical complications associated with life on the streets.”

CASPAR also operates multiple men’s residences in which male individuals recovering from alcohol and drug addictions can receive housing for six to ninth months as part of an integrated program of rehabilitation, case management, emotional skill building, and harm reduction strategies. Previously, in partnership City of Somerville, CASPAR owned the now-closed Hagon Manor: a six-bedroom congregate living suite for men with disabilities who had previously completed a substance abuse recovery program.

CASPAR also runs two programs aimed at women recovering from substance abuse or alcohol addiction as well. CASPAR Women’s Place is a twenty bed residential facility in North Cambridge designed for a six-month, exclusively female substance abuse rehabilitation program. The Women’s Place provides free onsite individual and group therapy, and is specifically equipped to target issues at the intersection of drug addiction and womanhood. In addition, CASPAR owns the Grow House, a seven-bed transitional house in the Mid-Cambridge neighborhood of Cambridge, which acts as a transitional group living environment for women having completed a drug rehabilitation program.

Previously, CASPAR also operated the New Day program, which was aimed at new mothers with drug addictions. Now closed due to staffing shortages, the program offered addiction recovery support and therapy to mothers, as well as services for at-risk infants.

Bay Cove Health and Human Services

In 1974 Bay Cove Human Services was started by Dan Boynton as a medically-supervised alcohol detoxification unit. Tufts University’s Department of Psychiatry had hired Boynton to create a community-based organization, and this began with the inception of the Andrew House. His program later expanded its treatment options to include programming for individuals with substance abuse disorders, mental illnesses, homelessness, or financial challenges. By 2001, the program had over 100 programs and 1600 staff members, and currently has programming under the umbrella of addiction services, developmental services, early intervention services, housing & homelessness services, and mental health services.

In July 2014, Bay Cove Health and Human Services acquired CASPAR; the two organizations currently work together to provide a range of programming. Most of CASPAR’s programs fall under Bay Cove’s Housing and Homelessness Services and Addiction Services.

Six years later, in July 2020, the Bay Cove joined a new partnership with Growthways Incorporated of Brockton, a “non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to provide community integrated programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” Now, Growthways Inc. works in a collaborative service partnership with both Bay Cove and the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services to provide programming such as Residential and Independent Programs and Individual Support programs throughout the Boston-metro area.

Target Populations

CASPAR, as parts of Bay Cove Human Services, serves populations dealing with addiction, homelessness, and mental health disorders in the Cambridge and Somerville area, with programming reaching residents from Boston, Winthrop, Everett, Arlington, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, Malden, Melrose, Revere, and Watertown.

References

This article "Cambridge and Somerville Programs for Addiction Recovery" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Cambridge and Somerville Programs for Addiction Recovery. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Megan O' Cain
• Central Dree Football Tournament
• Dnepr Kherson
• List of Wi-fi router brands by country
• Prof. Dr. P. Nazeer
• Gazete Banka
• Red Kite Games

---