In 2023, Roxanne DeCarlo celebrated her 9^th year as Executive Director of The Empowerment Center! In her time with TEC, she’s led us through quite the journey – from our early years as a co-ed halfway house, to supporting women struggling with alcoholism and addiction, to expanding our services to include long-term independent sober living at Marvel Way.

This month, we sat down to chat with Roxanne about her work, her life, and her plans to continue to strengthen everything we do. We’re excited to give you the chance to get to know her better.

About Roxanne

Roxanne grew up in South Lake Tahoe and has lived in Reno for 22 years. She’s a mother of 4, a grandmother of 3, a leader of the Life Church’s women’s ministry, and enthusiastic about her local hiking group. Before joining the Empowerment Center, DeCarlo worked in marketing and real estate.

Her husband was one of the founding members The Empowerment Center’s Board (then called The Launching Pad) and asked her to join as a Board Member in 2010 to help move the mission forward. When the Executive Director position opened up, as one of the more active Board Members, Roxanne smoothly transitioned into the role.

Transforming The Empowerment Center

Back then, The Empowerment Center was more of a halfway house. There were rules to follow, including staying clean and sober, but no structure in place to help residents adhere to them. One of DeCarlo’s first tasks was to implement a treatment program to support clients through their stays. “And that’s really where it started,” Roxanne explains. “We gave our clients the ability to create that first foundation with a 30-Day Blackout, where they couldn’t leave the property without staff.” Her treatment program began with one intern as a counselor, growing to today include multiple counselors, a mental health provider, and lot more structure.

Implementing the Workforce Development Program became a focus, giving clients the tools to not only find jobs, but build careers they were interested in, advance their skillsets, and identify and work towards their goals. As the treatment program grew, more funding became available to sustain it.

What Inspires Roxanne

Addiction runs in Roxanne’s family and making a difference in recovery is a personal venture for her. “Everybody here has such a heart for the individuals we serve,” she explains, “so everything they do just comes from the heart and makes for such an encouraging journey.”

When asked about her favorite moments at The Empowerment Center, DeCarlo shares, “my absolute favorite thing is, while women are often nervous when they show up, eventually their guards come down and they realize that they’re in a safe, supportive place. And then you begin to see their personalities emerge.” They show up as funny, as smart, as good cooks. Says Roxanne, “I just love getting to know them as individuals.”

From here, by addressing the underlying causes of addiction, including mental health, The Empowerment Center’s treatment program aims to create lasting change. Roxanne is proud to be a part of it. “We have the ability to create generational change when we look at addiction at its root and work to reunite women with their families, with their children. That’s why we do it.”

What’s Next for Roxanne & The Empowerment Center?

At The Empowerment Center, 2023 was a year of growth. We celebrated our first year running 42 sober living apartments at Marvel Way, offering a Nevada First balance of independent living and on-site support. We broke ground on Marvel Way Phase II, which will bring 46 additional units on board. We improved programming at The Empowerment Center, increasing from a 4- to 5-month treatment schedule.

For 2024, we’re excited to announce that we have even MORE in the works! The Empowerment Center recently received funding to build a new treatment center, just across the street from Marvel Way. Here, we’ll more than double the number of women we serve, expand mental health services, and offer more individualized treatment programs. Tune in next week for details – and for our next-step plans for the current Empowerment Center treatment center!

The Empowerment Center gives our warmest welcome to Sandy Gordon, our newest Board of Directors Member! Sandy moved to Nevada during high school and is a University of Nevada, Reno graduate. She currently works for Nevada State Development Corporation (NSDC), a nonprofit certified development company. Sandy is also a wedding officiant, loves the healing arts, and is an active member of several other community organizations. TEC Executive Director Roxanne DeCarlo shares, “Sandy Gordon is a long-time volunteer for The Empowerment Center, her talent, skills, and experience are impressive, and I am very excited to welcome her to our Board of Directors.”

Sandy has been watching The Empowerment Center since they purchased an old motel on Virginia Street, which would soon become TEC’s women-focused treatment center. She continued to hear about TEC for years, watching her financial industry colleagues donate to Marvel Way’s construction and hearing all about their contributions through friends throughout our Northern Nevada community.

Sandy thought “It would be amazing to join the Board and get more involved. I want to help as much as I can.” She has seen family members and others close to her struggle with addiction in their lives and “until you have gone through this with somebody, you have no idea. You may think you do, but you do not. It is truly a difficult yet sacred experience to be there for people as they transition through the toughest stages of addiction and recovery.”

Sandy Gordon comes to The Empowerment Center with 25+ years of experience as a banker. In her current work for Nevada State Development Corporation, she is a Business Development Officer, focusing on economic development for Nevada small businesses. At NSDC, Sandy and her colleagues advocate for small business owners, assisting them in getting commercial real estate financing through the federal government. Often, the Small Business Administration’s 504 Loans, through a government guaranteed program, are the best way to support business owners in achieving property ownership.

For many years, Sandy owned her own business as a tile and granite contractor/installer. Today, she explains, helping business owners realize the shift in their financial trajectory through the ownership of commercial real estate “gives me great pleasure in the work I do.”

In addition to her new role on The Empowerment Center’s Board of Directors, Sandy is also an integral part of several other Northern Nevada organizations. As the Chapter Secretary for CREW Northern Nevada, she encourages and unites women (and men) in all facets of the commercial real estate industry here in northern Nevada. She is a member of The Optimist’s local chapter and is on the Board for AVA Ballet and Theater. She especially loves watching AVA introduce children to the art of ballet and seed their creatives sides.

As a Board Member, Sandy looks forward to assisting any way she can, and especially hopes to lend her experiences with real estate and much more to the TEC team.

If you are looking to get involved in community work, Sandy recommends starting by thinking about what issues matter most to you personally and giving back to organizations in that space. “Getting involved with nonprofits is such a rewarding feeling, and I can’t wait to do more for The Empowerment Center.”

The Empowerment Center is proud to welcome Lee Hernandez to our Board of Directors! Lee Hernandez is CFO at Lumos & Associates, a multidisciplinary engineering firm providing structural, civil, geotechnical, surveys, and construction services in Nevada and California. He also founded Firmament Financial, a wealth management company that does investment management, financial planning and long-term tax planning.

As a CPA, CFA, and CFP, Lee Hernandez brings his professional skillset – as well as his personal passions for helping those in need, especially women and others who have difficulty accessing needed resources – to The Empowerment Center. As a member of our Board, he’ll assist in reviewing TEC’s financials and help oversee audit engagements.

Hernandez has been involved with The Empowerment Center and other local nonprofits for years, and we’re excited to add him to our team! Roxanne DeCarlo, TEC’s Executive Director, notes, “His commitment to our community and financial expertise make him an excellent addition to our board of directors.” Lee’s past work includes CFO at Catholic Charities and corporate finance roles in the gaming and power sectors. Prior to that, he worked in investment banking and economic consulting for the power sector. “As a nonprofit organization, we rely heavily on volunteers to make our work possible. Lee’s background and experience are huge assets to our organization,” states Board President Janel Walsh.

Lee met Frank DeCarlo when they worked together at Monarch Casino and Resort in 2010, and, through him, he met Roxanne. When Lee and his family moved back to Reno from the DC metro area in 2018, his wife, Nhit, joined Roxanne’s hiking group. Nhit began donating silverwear and other household items to The Empowerment Center…and encouraged Lee to get involved as well.

“The mission of The Empowerment Center is such an easy one to get behind,” Lee explains, “I’m familiar with organizations focused on men, and a program specifically for women battling substance and alcohol abuse and addiction feels like it addresses a significant need.” He enjoys supporting local nonprofits and businesses, and especially likes how TEC works with women recently released from correctional facilities. “This provides a comprehensive framework with the right amount of support to get them back into society.”

Outside of work, Lee enjoys hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and music. He and his wife have two sons, ages 12 and 9. Both of his boys play violin, Dominic in the Youth Symphony Orchestra and Hunter in the Youth Strings Symphonia. Recently, Lee also started taking music lessons himself. He played violin in the orchestra in Middle School and High School, and when he found himself with a little extra time, picked up the violin again. He retaught himself classical music before beginning lessons to learn fiddling and folk tunes.

Looking to the future, Lee Hernandez is most enthusiastic about The Empowerment Center’s multifamily housing and expansion plans. He’s impressed by the resources we’ve received from the community – from builders to local businesses to government entities. He feels that relocating the Empowerment Center to a new building across the street from Marvel Way is a great way to see the mission grow. Lee sums up, “I see The Empowerment Center getting a lot of traction and support, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Heather Morton is studying welding at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) while living at Marvel Way with her daughters, ages 2 and 4. Every morning, she drops them off at daycare on the way to her welding work and classes, which she looks forward to every day. In the evenings, she’s grateful to come home to her own apartment, in a safe and secure building. She’s used to living in chaotic shared living spaces with up to 10 others, where “everything I’ve ever owned has been destroyed or taken away from me.” She explains, “This is the first time I’ve ever had my own place, my own house that nobody was going to take away from me.”

Heather’s life hasn’t always looked like this. For her and so many others, a safe and affordable place to live is an essential step in establishing a clean and sober lifestyle.

Here’s how she got here:

Heather’s Journey

Heather’s parents are both recovering addicts. When she was 13, she started drinking and smoking weed, and things escalated from there. When she turned 18, she became a stripper with her then-best friend and “it kind of fueled everything.” She tried a variety of drugs, had bouts with some of them, and despised meth, until her son’s father introduced her to it at 29 or 30. According to Heather, “It was the most powerful thing I’ve ever done. I couldn’t stop.” Around this time, her sister became addicted to heroin, and Heather saw “some really scary stuff” with both substances. She’s spent time in two domestic violence shelters, had a close friend die, and has attempted suicide.

When she knew things were bad, Heather sent her kids to live with family members. When her son was 3 years old (he’s 8 today), she sent him to live with his grandparents. And, when her daughters were ages 2 and 6 months (now 4 and 2), she sent them to live with her Aunt. A CPS worker saw that Heather wanted to change her life, and helped her by closing her case so Heather could transfer custody before entering treatment programs. Heather’s sister was already in recovery at point – and was a huge inspiration in helping Heather to get clean.

Heather’s Recovery & Moving to Marvel Way

From here, Heather entered treatment at New Frontier, the Ridge House, then Crossroads. Between the 3 programs, she was in treatment for a year and half, working through them back to back. At Crossroads, she was allowed to have her girls with her. She received specialized therapy for domestic violence, traditional therapy, EMDR, relapse prevention, and parenting classes.

When Heather completed each of these programs, she didn’t feel ready to live independently and wasn’t sure where to go next. But, she says, she’ll “always remember the day at Crossroads when they had a big meeting, with 30 or 40 girls, and announced that the community was going to open a complex for people like us.” For the next step out of transitional living. “I remember getting goosebumps everywhere. I was like, I’m gonna live there!”.

Learning to Weld

Growing up, Heather always did well in school and began welding with her dad at 13. She was awarded a scholarship for welding in High School, before her life took a different turn. A big piece of her recovery was getting back to working towards her goals. While in treatment, she received help applying for FASFA to cover her educational costs and enroll at TMCC.

Heather felt passionate about returning to welding from Day 1. After the first semester, she approached one of her instructors, feeling awkward in advocating her herself, and asked “Hey, can I have a job here? I don’t care how much you pay me, I just want the experience.” Of course, they told her, she was a fantastic welder and they had plenty of work for her. Today, Heather is working as an Instructor’s Assistant at TMCC.

About TMCC’s welding program, she notes “I’m surrounded by all these professors, and successful people, and a lot of them are in recovery too. It’s the greatest place on the planet.” She’s learning about different types of machines, how to repair them, fabrication, and more. “It’s like the whole world is just right there for me, everything I’ve ever dreamed of, and all I had to do was quite using.”

Heather Today & Looking Forward

With the help of her FAFSA grants, a Jacobsen scholarship, rental assistance from the Housing Authority, and her affordable Marvel Way 1-bedroom apartment – Heather is excited to be completing her Associate’s degree, job training, and welding certifications. Next, she aims to earn a bachelor’s degree so she can become a welding instructor. When Marvel Way Phase II is completed, and Heather is taking home a welder’s salary, she hopes to transition from her 1-bedroom apartment to a 2-bedroom unit in the new building.

In everything she does, being a good mom is Heather’s top priority. She knows her girls see what she does and are proud of her. They know she takes her laptop with her everywhere, and when they don’t see it on weekends away visiting family, they ask why – and remind her to do her homework! She’s reconnected with her son, and recently saw him for the first time in 4 years. Her girls came with her and met their brother for the first time.

At Marvel Way, Heather enjoys community events like BBQs, is looking forward to the Phase II playground for her girls, and appreciates living in a supportive community. At NA meetings, she “can’t wait to be one of the people in the room that gets to stand up when they have 5 years clean, or 10 years clean, or 20.” She’s inspired by Richard, Marvel Way’s Housing Director, as living proof that she can live the rest of her life in recovery, and not ever have to go back. And, she looks forward to helping her kids understand addiction, so they can make better choices and break her family’s cycle.

Advice from Heather

Heather’s advice to anyone struggling with addiction is not to give up. “Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re worth, because you get to decide what you want out of life. And don’t listen to the statistics and the numbers and what people say about addicts. Just listen to yourself and believe in yourself.” She encourages people who are struggling to take advantage of therapy, counseling, and meetings. In time, “it’s only going to benefit you, and everything will fall into place.”

Her favorite quote is – “Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.”

Sarah Verdugo was in treatment at The Empowerment Center in 2020. She currently lives in a 1-bedroom apartment at Marvel Way. She’s exploring going back to school, manages the Marvel Way community garden, and is enjoying getting to know her new sober community.

Before Sarah’s recovery, she was in multiple domestic violence situations and, she shares, “drank to not deal with what was happening.” When one of her ex’s punched her in the eye and partially blinded her, she had been working towards a new life, with a high paying job that would allow her to live on her own. Faced with being blind, “I completely gave up because I had everything taken from me in an instant.” She began drinking whenever she had the chance. “I didn’t want to have to deal with this new scary life” and “drinking was the point, at that point.” When her situation at home became increasingly violent, she knew she couldn’t continue to live as she was. She researched treatment programs, knew she needed a woman-focused recovery, and applied to The Empowerment Center.

Sarah’s Recovery

With the help of The Empowerment Center and Marvel Way, Sarah has focused on both her recovery from addiction and physical healing. She’s had multiple surgeries, as well as physical therapy. While she’s still considered legally blind, her eyesight has improved and she can once again drive.

Sarah’s clean dates are March 21, 2021 and November 21, 2022. After treatment, Sarah returned to her previous living situation, realized how problematic it continued to be, and got out. Her second clean date represents the day she reclaimed her power by taking steps to leave her domestic violence situation, which included drinking for a weekend so her ex would bring her to a detox program. While in detox, Sarah received the help she needed to escape this relationship and move into her new home at Marvel Way in December 2022.

Moving to Marvel Way

Today, Sarah is grateful to have landed at Marvel Way. She notes, “It’s helped me to grow as a person, to stand more on my own two feet, want to have goals and say, ‘oh wait, those are truly are my wants and desires.’” To her, Marvel Way provides more than just security and stable housing – it’s her community. Living here, while everyone’s story and background is different, all share a common bond and understanding. They support one another. “This place feels kind of like a positive and supportive continual group meeting at times,” she notes. It’s a place where “I can be me, with all my weirdness and silliness and have fun, but also I can share when I’m hurting or struggling with stuff, like mental health and addiction.”

Living at Marvel Way, Sarah is learning how much people truly want to help. They’re offering support both through Empowerment Center programs – like weekly therapy visits with UNR students earning internship hours while pursuing their degrees – and from staff who are helping her figure out what she needs. This is new to Sarah, as her family placed her heavily in the caretaker role from a young age. When she made it known that she had too many boxes of belongings filling her living space to have to sort through, Marvel Way had a solution. They gave her access to a storage shed so she could sort through everything at her own pace. To Sarah, Marvel Way is “the best case scenario.” It’s the affordable home and supportive community she needs to discover who she is and work towards her next healing steps.

Running the Marvel Way Community Garden & Teaching Empowerment Center Art Classes

Sarah has always loved to garden. At Marvel Way, she’s the unofficial manager of the apartment complex’s community garden.

Growing up, as the oldest female granddaughter, she was often overwhelmingly responsible for watching over a large amount of cousins much younger than her all at the same time.  One of her favorite places to take them was her grandma’s gardens in the backyard. It kept everybody safely in one place. A love of gardening was instilled in Sarah from a young age, and that she’s always felt connected to. “No matter where I’ve gone, it’s something I’ve had to have, a part of the Earth.”

When Sarah lived in small apartments, she grew herbs, or helped to facilitate a small spot on the side of her building. She’s set up huge gardens along the edge of her mother’s house. Later, in one of her domestic violence situation, Sarah’s “one escape, the chance to be alone away from the house and him was to landscape for the same company he worked for.” She learned about more than just growing, including how to plan landscapes, select plants, and set up piping and irrigation systems for larger projects.

In addition, Sarah’s always been passionate about art. While in treatment at The Empowerment Center during Covid lockdown, she taught art classes to other women in the program. Some of her projects included making gratitude jars, guided acrylic paintings of a mother and child, and –  her favorite – having each woman decorate a large set of paper feathers and combining them to create a giant set of angel wings. Finding new ways to express herself creatively has been a key piece of Sarah’s recovery, and she’s appreciated opportunities to share this with her peers.

What’s Next for Sarah?

Sarah will always find joy in gardening and art and has considered opening a floral shop but, she explains, “the one thing I’ve known about myself is that if it’s a hobby, don’t make it my career, because I may lose interest. When it’s something you have to do, it can create a lot of extra-intense anxiety and stress.” For now, she’s focusing on her mental health, personal growth, physical healing , and building her sense of community. She’s “trying to slow down and take one thing at a time and not have to speed through it all,” and with stable, affordable housing at Marvel Way – she feels fortunate that she doesn’t have to.

Looking to the future, Sarah’s goal is to go back to school and she’s considering working in healthcare. As a teen, Sarah wanted to become a pediatric oncology nurse. She started college, has many transferrable credits from several university programs, and acknowledges that one of her next steps will be to figure out which will transfer, and which program is best for her. With the help of The Empowerment Center, she’s already had her previous student loans forgiven, through a service that helps people who are legally blind. She’s been looking into medical assistant, licensed practical nurse, certified nursing assistant, and other certificate programs that are shorter than nursing school. She sees these options as stepping stones.

No matter what path Sarah takes, she knows it will be a better one. “Now that I’m sober, I have so much more life ahead of me. I finally have the room and space to take my time to discover who I truly am.”

The Empowerment Center is a proud partner of the Washoe County Department of Alternative Sentencing’s STAR Program, which prioritizes Support, Treatment, Accountability, and Recovery for individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. This pilot program focuses on addressing the root causes of addiction, moving away from the traditional probation model. We spoke with Sergeant Andrew Sherbondy, who spearheaded STAR’s first-of-its-kind in our region approach in October 2022.

Here’s how STAR’s different, its history, and why it works:

What’s the STAR Program?

The Department of Alternative Sentencing provides pretrial supervision for all levels of offence and misdemeanor probation supervision. In 2014, as a result of the opioid epidemic and seeing an increase in positive drug test for fentanyl and other opioids, Sherbondy submitted a grant application for a new pilot program: STAR.

STAR follows an intensive supervision model and multidisciplinary approach, with Andrew’s team including a probation officer, a licensed clinician, a peer support specialist, and a case manager. Together, they provide wraparound support for 25 people. “A big part of the program model hinges on community partnerships,” Andrew explains. They use Medication Assisted Treatment for much of their caseload and often place individuals in residential, recovery, housing, or inpatient programs. The STAR program contracts with The Empowerment Center for four beds for female participants who’d benefit from receiving treatment in a safe, sober environment. Andrew notes, “we’ve seen some pretty staggering improvements in mental health and in recovery for the gals that are in The Empowerment Center’s program.”

How STAR is Different

STAR is an evidence-based program, Sherbondy explains, and “one of the best things about the Department of Alternative Sentencing is our ability to get our hands on people pretty close to the point of arrest,” when studies show they feel most ready to change. STAR will recommend these pre-trial individuals to the judges at the Reno Justice Court and enroll them in the program. From here, they’ll assess risks and needs, develop a treatment plan, and reach out to treatment facilities.

In contrast to the traditional “do or don’t do, comply or don’t comply” probation model, STAR sees itself as a person-centered program model that meets each participant where they’re at, in a way that resonates with them. They stay in regular communication with their clientele and treatment facility partners, with their probation officer, clinician, and peer support specialist generally visit treatment centers weekly, or more often if needed. If a participant arrives at onsite and expresses interest in leaving, STAR will check in more often and make sure he or she feels supports. “Everyone knows, on an intellectual level, that a sober program is a good thing. But it’s very different when you’re actually packing the bags and leaving behind your comfort zone. Even if that comfort zone is problematic.”

In addition, the STAR team regularly visits The Empowerment Center and other treatment facilities to do interactive journaling, through an evidence-based journaling series called The Courage to Change.

Andrew Sherbondy’s Path

Andrew never thought he would be a law enforcement officer. His father was a Federal Probation Officer, and Andrew knew he didn’t fit the mold for a cop. He was going to be a counselor. But, he saw the level of effort is dad put into meet people, and how he pushed for treatment focused supervision in his own way. For Andrew, “that planted a seed in my wanting to be involved in something more solution-focused, being able to help people, but also help the community at the same time.”

In 2020, Sherbondy started to put together application and bring together contact in the treatment community to make the STAR Program happen. He consulted with different treatment providers, including Crossroads and The Empowerment Center, to get feedback on how to approach the program and position it for success. He also looked to similar programs in other states for guidance.

What’s Next for STAR?

STAR is a grant-funded pilot program, the first of its kind in Northern Nevada. The program is working to demonstrate the efficacy of treatment focused, multidisciplinary efforts in probation supervision. They aim to change minds – and show how approaching criminal behavior as a symptom of addiction and other mental health issues simply works better. By including an interdisciplinary team and, as a result of their grant funding, maintaining a small and manageable caseload – they’re able to work with participants in a more meaningful way.

While STAR just opened its doors last October, they’re already looking to grow. They’re hoping that by demonstrating success, they can increase their funding, team size, and the number of participants they support. In addition to their partnerships with The Empowerment Center and other treatment centers in our community, STAR was recently awarded a grant to open a recovery house and community of their own. Their intention is to create a sober living environment for people leaving treatment centers, but not quite ready for independent living. Like The Empowerment Center and Marvel Way, Sherbondy understands that the opioid and housing crises are intertwined and wants to address them both, together.

Did you know? Sober living is most likely to be sustained in a safe, supportive, and clean environment. Our Marvel Way Apartments do just that!

Last fall, Marvel Way (managed by The Empowerment Center) opened its doors as the first-of-its-kind in Nevada. We’re offering 42 affordable sober living apartments to start, and are excited to begin providing an additional 46 units in Phase II. These 1- and 2-bedroom units are permanent homes for individuals (and their families) who’ve recently completed substance use disorder treatment programs or exited the penal system. They’re designed for residents who are ready to live independently, but could still benefit from a little support. And we’re almost ready to break ground on Phase II – significantly expanding the range of services we’re offering to both new and current residents.

What Marvel Way Offers

At Marvel Way, we’re bringing our residents the services that help them most, in the most convenient place possible – just down the hall. To start out, we offer similar facilities as many other apartment complexes, including a gym, computer lab, community room, and garden boxes. But, understanding the population we serve, we go well beyond these basics.

To ease the transition to a clean and safe living environment, utilities and WiFi are included in rent. A mobile food bank makes monthly visits, assistance with furnishing is provided when needed, and our staff helps arrange for childcare, pet vaccinations, work clothes donations, and more. With the help of Silver Summit’s generous support, we’ve recently purchased a vehicle, so we can assist with transportation to grocery stores and medical appointments. And, Marvel Way is conveniently located near busy bus routes. We see a new apartment as a fresh start and are committed to helping our residents succeed.

On the therapeutic side, we offer AA, NA, and AA Book Study meetings every week. Dr. Brandee Shipman, our Empowerment Center psychiatrist, as well as Dr. Ken Call and Dr. Jen Ross, counselors from UNR, have been available 1-2 days per week for anyone who feels they’d benefit from such support. Each semester, students from the UNR social work program will also be available on site.

Building Community

We recognize that Marvel Way is more than just housing, it’s a community of individuals with shared experiences, supporting one another. To encourage connections beyond that simple “hello” in the hallways, we’re bringing residents together through social gatherings.

So far, we’ve hosted a December holiday party, Easter egg hunt, ice cream social, and – just last month – a community BBQ. Our June BBQ was well attended, with housing Manager Richard Brown serving up 40+ burgers and 40+ dogs. We were fortunate to have a beautiful spring day to celebrate together, and good times were had by all!

What’s Next? Marvel Way: Phase II

The Empowerment Center is excited to break ground on Phase II of our Marvel Way Complex! Later this summer, we’ll begin construction on a second building, which will allow us to provide an additional 46 affordable housing units.

What’s more, with the extra space, we’re looking forward to opening an onsite medical clinic. While we’re still finalizing our plans, our goal is to have at least 1 primary care provider, 1 mental health provider, and a nurse on site. With our new clinic, we’ll be able to provide even more convenient access to many types of medical care, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) – the practice of using medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to help patients sustain recovery. In addition to Marvel Way residents, we’ll offer outpatient serves to all Empowerment Center graduates and, perhaps one day, to the broader community.

For Marvel Way residents, Phase II will introduce several additional perks. The completed complex layout includes a playground, dog park, expanded community garden, BBQ zone, and a seating areas for everyone to enjoy. Our goal is two-fold: we’ll support our residents with traditional supportive services and provide a living environment that just feels nice.

The Empowerment Center is dedicated to helping women who suffer from substance use disorders restore their dignity and quality of life. Since you’ve last heard from us, a lot has changed! We’ve been expanding client services, updating our programming, providing medication-assisted treatment onsite, and remodeling our rooms to better support everyone who walks through our doors. Here’s what our updates look like:

Our 5-Month Pathway to Success

Did you know? The Empowerment Center recently increased our clients’ stays from 4 to 5 months.

Why is this important? There’s so much that goes into helping women in recovery, especially women who’ve recently experienced homelessness or incarceration, and we were finding that our 4-month program felt a little bit rushed. By expanding to 5 months, The Empowerment Center is reducing recidivism and increasing clients staying in recovery. We’ve updated our signature program, so when each client comes in, we have more time to evaluate her unique needs: from housing to medical, including primary care, women’s care, peer support, counselors, therapists, and workforce development. Our new first month focuses on the clinical: how we can help our clients become healthier humans, longer term? We’re waiting until our clients are fully acclimated and medically stable before beginning workforce development.

When our clients arrive, they’re given an orientation manual, laying out everything they’ll accomplish in their 5 months with Empowerment. They read through the expectations of each phase, begin working with their providers on key sections, and set up appointments with on- and off-site providers. When they advance to Phase II, we start talking to them about reentering the workforce. We begin by helping our clients identify employment and educational goals they’re excited about. Then, we tailor resume building, interviewing, and hard/soft skill development to match their aspirations! We’re working with Noelle Gravallese, our new Director of Clinical Services, to ensure that our upgraded 5-month program amplifies every woman’s opportunities for success.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

We’re using the latest research on the population we serve to incorporate an evidence-based model to end cycles of homelessness and continued use. An important piece of this is MAT: using medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to help patients sustain recovery.

We’ve brought in an on-site psychiatric provider to prescribe and administer MAT: Dr. Brandee Shipman, our new Medical Director. This separates us from other programs and allows us to offer a higher level of support. Brandee believes that although the physical and the mental have long been separate in our health system, continuing to work this way would do everyone a disservice. She explains, “By integrating the two, we can help people live their best lives.” Dr. Shipman splits her time between our Empowerment Center treatment center, our Marvel Way sober-living apartments, and her private practice. As we expand our apartment complex at Marvel Way, we aim to add an on-site outpatient program to assist clients at every stage of recovery.

Room Remodels

At The Empowerment Center, we recognize that, for 5 months, our rooms are our clients’ homes. And, studies show that a clean and safe living environment encourages success in recovery from addiction and other psychiatric disorders.

With the help of generous donations from Molena, Silver Summit, and other supporters, we’re giving a refresh to every room. We’re repainting walls, replacing beds and comforters, installing new vanities and mirrors in bathrooms, and adding TVs, mini-fridges, and other furnishings. We’re excited about how our rooms have turned out – but still have a few spaces left to go. We’re currently fundraising (email link) to complete our room remodels

Garden Update

There’s overwhelming evidence that gardening, spending time outdoors, and eating well are supportive of mental health. Gardening is tranquil, allows us to modify and improve our environment, and encourages the appreciation a predictable cycle of life in times of rapid change.

Our community gardens at The Empowerment Center and Marvel Way do all of this – and are just one of the many ways we incorporate experiential programing to help our clients develop balanced lifestyles. We work with our clients to determine which vegetables and herbs they’re most excited to grow, discuss what does best in our desert environment, take care of plants together, and enjoy their bounty throughout the season. This year, we’re excited to watch our tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers thrive.

Charity Golf Tournament

On August 25^th, the Empowerment Center will receive the proceeds from the 4^th Annual Mountain West Builders Charity Golf Tournament. Marvel Way was constructed by Mountain West just last year, and we’re looking forward to partnering with them at this event!

The tournament will be held at the Toiyabe Golf Club. While tournament registrations are already full, they’re still looking for supporters to sponsor designated holes (2 available,  $600 each), silent auction items, and raffle prizes. Visit Mountain West’s website for more information.