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Bootcamp/
Summit 2020
Homelessness in COVID-19
Carl Almeida Efrain Lozada Deb Flynn-Gonzalez
For those without a place to call home, the shelter-in-place order that Governor Baker issued in March rendered an at-risk population even more vulnerable. The likelihood of greater exposure to COVID-19 presented a real danger to those with underlying, untreated health conditions. Providers and advocates faced new challenges in ensuring that those without homes had access to handwashing and safe places to isolate or quarantine. Hear from three individuals including two that lead peer recovery support centers and an outreach worker about their experience supporting this population in this era of COVID-19.
Outreach Worker, Steppingstones
Carl Almeida is an Outreach Worker for Steppingstones, Inc. and a person in long-term recovery. Carl’s passions include working with the issues of substance abuse and homelessness, which he has done for the last six-and-a-half years.
Program Director, St. Francis House Recovery Support Center
Efrain, a person in long-term recovery and someone who has experienced homelessness, is the Program Director for the St. Francis House Recovery Support Center. Efrain is responsible for ensuring the safety, security and support of staff and members who are experiencing homelessness and also seeking recovery from drugs and alcohol. Efrain supervises a team of three coordinators, who have lived experience with addiction and recovery, and oversees that the Peer Participatory Process and multiple pathways of recovery are maintained. Efrain also works to generate awareness of the recovery community, uphold the overall mission for the center to be member-driven, and educate the community on the impacts of stigma. Lastly, Efrain seeks out ways to connect with other Recovery Support Centers and other communities focused on recovery.
Director, Hope for Holyoke Peer Recovery Support Center
Debra Flynn-Gonzalez is a woman in long-term recovery, who has been working for the past 20 years in the greater Holyoke and Springfield community, providing clinical services and supervision, program development, and grant management for individuals, children and families in diverse communities. Her extensive experience working with adults with trauma, substance use, incarceration and post-incarceration, and other high-risk populations, along with her lived experience as a mother and love of children, led to her passion of working with mothers and the field of peer recovery. Currently as the Director of Hope for Holyoke Peer Recovery Support Center, Debbie and others work tirelessly to support individuals in finding their recovery pathway and supporting a recovery lifestyle. They also educate the community about the life benefits to peer recovery support. In 2018, she was named the Unsung Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women for her work throughout the Commonwealth.
Session 2 Wednesday August 5th
