Riverbend unveils its newest residential reentry program

By Peter Currier | pcurrier@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun

Riverbend, the organization formerly known as Lowell House, has continued to evolve this year following its name change with the opening of its newest residential reentry program, Road to Renewal.

Officials, community leaders and reentry professionals gathered Thursday morning at 475 Varnum Ave., a somewhat unassuming house that Riverbend is now using to bolster its support for adults leaving prison and starting the hard road to rejoining society. The aim of the program is to provide those adults a place they can come home to in addition to case management and support services.

“Being able to provide a residence for people when they are on parole, when they are on probation, that supports them in their journey to recovery, that is amazing, and it is amazing that we can be a part of it,” said Riverbend CEO Michael Reinke before the ribbon cutting.

The Road to Renewal house has a total of 25 beds for adult men who have recently left prison, 15 of which are already occupied as of Thursday. One of the biggest barriers to rejoining society after a prison sentence can be housing, as Massachusetts Probation Commissioner Pamerson Ifill said.

“If you can find housing, if you have a place to go home, you can launch into other areas, whether it is treatment, whether it is programming,” said Ifill.

Road to Renewal was created as a partnership between Riverbend, the Massachusetts Department of Correction, Massachusetts Probation Services and Community Resources for Justice.

CRJ Senior Director for Reentry Services Matthew LeFrancois said when CRJ was seeking partners to provide these kinds of services, they struggled to find someone suitable until they found Riverbend.

“When we connected with Lowell House, now Riverbend, we knew that was a good partner and they would be successful,” said LeFrancois.

In his remarks, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge said the state should work to create and encourage more programs like those offered by Riverbend.

“This facility is exactly what we need not only to support those citizens, but also for public safety in general and to improve our communities,” said Eldridge. “If we are really serious about creating a fair society and a just society, we need to recognize that when those who have paid their dues and spent time in a prison are being released, they need the support to lead productive lives and give back to the community.”

The ribbon cutting came the same day both chambers of the state Legislature passed “An Act relative to treatments and coverage for substance use disorder and recovery coach licensure,” which is aimed at expanding non-opioid pain treatment options, supporting children and pregnant women exposed to illicit substances, and establishing recovery coach licenses.

“Which is significant in terms of the resources for insurance companies, providing resources for recovery coaches … We are getting it done this session and it is going to help in our effort across the spectrum to address the issues we face,” state Rep. Rodney Elliott said at the ribbon cutting.

State Rep. Vanna Howard said she was “grateful for the partnership” created to provide these wraparound services for those recently released from incarceration.

“This residency reentry program is vital for individuals to return to a stable, safe environment,” said Howard.

Among the many people who have worked for Riverbend over its 53 years of operation is Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Reentry Specialist and Riverbend board member Louie Diaz.

Diaz was himself released from prison 30 years ago, and later spent time doing similar work for Riverbend as a reentry specialist.

“This is awesome that Riverbend opens a house like this, and we are able to partner with organizations and do some incredible work in the city of Lowell,” said Diaz.

After the ribbon was cut, Reinke said in an interview that 80-85% of police calls somehow involve a substance use disorder, be it a victim, perpetrator of a crime or some other involved party.

“The challenge is, up until six years ago, for people who are like, ‘I am on a journey to recovery, I want to stay sober,’ our penal system was basically releasing them into the community with no support whatsoever. This house provides that support,” said Reinke. “This house provides the staffing, the counseling, even just some of the basics. They say if you want to keep somebody from reoffending, you need housing, you need transportation, and a job.”

Riverbend currently serves an approximate total of 3,000 people in communities like Lowell, Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Reading and Tewksbury.