Clinic strives to assist addicts

RALEIGH - Midway through his senior year, Tim Moss found himself living with a crowd different from his fraternity brothers - a group of homeless men trying to reclaim their lives at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

"The first night I was there, I just remember looking around the room, and it just hit me like a ton of bricks," Moss said. "I was sleeping in a homeless shelter with 81 other homeless men, and it was really emotional."

Since completing the rehabilitation program, Moss is on the brink of graduating from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and working for WRAL's local news broadcast.

But just like most of the men who begin at The Healing Place of Wake County, Moss needed to hit the bottom before he could stage his comeback.

"It represents the wall that these guys have to slam against," Development Director Allen Reep said of the 3-ton red clay wall sculpture in The Healing Place's courtyard.

Spanning the courtyard that seems more like one of UNC's plush quads than a rehabilitation center is another wall engraved with the 12 steps of recovery and an archway that signifies completion of the curriculum.

The courtyard's aesthetics are only the beginning of the program's structured nature.

"It's a program of positive movement," said Reep, a graduate of UNC and assistant director of the UNC Marching Tar Heels for nearly 20 years.

During one of the program's initial stages, the men walk six miles a day, five days a week, regardless of the day's weather. "They call it trudging," Reep said.

Modeled after a pilot program in Louisville, Ky., The Healing Place has experienced tremendous success - more than 70 percent of its graduates are still clean a year after finishing the program.

The program is well financed and draws its support from government and private sources.

"The money that these people raise is astonishing," said Paige Rainey, who is training for a position at the center.

It also has experienced bipartisan support. Republicans advocate the program because of its cost-effective nature, and Democrat support stems from its social contributions.

Reep said 60 to 80 percent of people living on the street have a drug or alcohol problem. "This facility attacks that problem," he said.

The Healing Place also incorporates an emergency shelter and a sobering-up center. A key component of the program is its peer support network that is comprised of men ranging from former CEOs to those who had spent their lives on the streets.

"There's something to learn from everyone and everyone's experiences," Moss said.

Michael Clemons grew up as the son of a minister but found himself at The Healing Place after a drug addiction nearly took his life.

"I didn't set out to set up a crack house," he said. "It just got out of control, and that's when I ended up with a crack house."

Clemons has progressed through the program and now works in what is dubbed the facility's "nerve center" - a planning room that charts the progress of residents.

Despite the complexities and symbolism that are incorporated into The Healing Place's formula, Reep characterized its mission simply.

"It's about helping people find their way back."

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.