Recovery Center

Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

A recovery center is simply that – a facility or campus dedicated to providing a full continuum of services and supports to help people successfully return to the community. Our center is focused on individuals struggling with substance use disorder.

Recovery centers are designed to be safe and supportive living environments that encourage recovery from these disorders and related problems.

A recovery center is an important component of Clackamas County’s recovery-oriented system of care (ROSC), passed by resolution by the Board of County Commissioners in April 2023. An ROSC is a coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is person-centered and builds on the strengths and resiliencies of individuals, families, and communities to achieve abstinence and improved health, wellness, and quality of life for those with or at risk of alcohol and drug problems. ROSCs support the premise that there are many pathways to recovery.

A recovery center for those struggling from substance use disorder is a critical piece of infrastructure that is sorely needed in our community.

Over the past several years, substance use disorder treatment has moved from an acute to chronic care model recognizing that short-term, stand-alone treatment is less effective than long-term recovery and maintenance. This change – from managing symptoms and immediate stabilization to preventing relapse and supporting sustained recovery – is the foundation for our recovery center. 

The recovery center will address multiple factors including treatment for substance use, educational needs, improved job training and employment, guidance for positive family and social relationships, and housing opportunities, along with many other personal and professional needs. An important feature of the center will be staying engaged with individuals after they return to their communities to support them in a successful transition.

Further, developing such a center was the strong recommendation from expert panelists who met with the commissioners, staff, and community partners in autumn 2023 at our Clackamas Addictions Recovery Summit. 

Clackamas County envisions recovery for all individuals struggling with substance use. The mission of our recovery center is to ensure individuals struggling with substance use disorder receive timely person-centered support, treatment and resources to help them achieve and sustain long-term recovery.

We want those we serve through the recovery center to emerge from it housed, healthy, have a strong community of support, and have purpose (through work, education or other activities).

The full-service list for the center is being finalized, but will include detox (withdrawal management), stabilization, mental health treatment, treatment beds, medication-assisted treatment, care coordination, peer support, outpatient services, job skill development, and transitional housing. Additional services, such as medical and dental care, may be provided on site or off-site.

First and foremost, individuals served through the recovery center must have a substance use disorder and may have other challenges such as mental health issues. Referrals may come from a variety of sources including hospitals, community partners, first responders, law enforcement, mobile crisis teams, and families. A key focus of the center will be immediate access for individuals in need.

Our recovery center will be a destination location with transitional housing on-site. Stays at the center could be as long as 18 months, depending upon an individual’s needs.

A recovery center is not a shelter or drop-in location. This will be a comprehensive facility with onsite services from community-based providers, including peers with lived experience to aid throughout each person’s journey.

There will be outpatient services offered, but they will be part of the entire service offerings at the center.

The initial purchase for the site was made for $3.5 million. The county intends to provide funding for development and construction costs from a combination of Supportive Housing Services dollars, the private sector, and state, federal and local funding. We have a goal of securing $35-40 million with an initial funding target of $15-20 million.

Ongoing operational costs will primarily come from coordinated care organizations for Medicaid-eligible individuals and behavioral-health dedicated state funding for those who are uninsured.

Yes. Clackamas County reached out to everyone well ahead of time who was located within 300 feet of the property, soliciting and encouraging feedback. We held a community meeting on July 25, 2024 at the property. The primary audiences for this listening session-style event were the immediate neighbors of the site (both residents and businesses), while other interested stakeholders were welcome to attend. The FAQ on this webpage (that you are reading now) was created in response to the many excellent questions/concerns raised. 

It’s not unusual for people to have negative perceptions about the arrival of a recovery center into their neighborhood. We will work with the community throughout the development process. We are committed to doing the hard work on behalf of those in need, their families, and their communities who want a thriving Clackamas County. 

With this project, as ClackCo and our providers have done with other communities and facilities, we will work together with the community to develop a good neighbor agreement. Such an agreement will outline how the center will work, its expected effect, and provider and neighbor commitments. Here is an excerpt from the county contractor’s good neighbor agreement regarding the Johnson Creek Secure Residential Facility:

This agreement is based on the assumption of certain rights:

• Every person (including residents, neighbors, visitors and staff of the Facility; emergency service providers; and other community members) has the right to personal safety.
• Every person has the right to a healthy environment.
• Every person has the right to quiet enjoyment of her or his home.

Goals of the agreement:

• Initiate and maintain open communications and understanding between the parties so that they can be responsible partners to each other.
• Develop a procedure for resolving problems that relate only to neighborhood issues.
• Maintain neighborhood livability.
• Foster an environment of healing for residents of the Facility, and a healthy environment for all in the community.
• Mitigate risks to the livability of the neighborhood for the Facility’s neighbors, residents, visitors, staff members and emergency service providers as well as other community members.

A study distributed by National Bureau for Economic Research found that substance-use disorder centers do not negatively affect property values in areas where they set up shop.

Past economic models have shown the construction of such centers may decrease values by 3.4% to 4.6%, but the model created for this most recent paper showed that when adjusted for factors like value prior to the center’s introduction and benefits for surrounding businesses, there is no measurable difference. The researchers examined property value between the years of 2003 and 2016 using data from Seattle.

It is our hope that the neighborhood around the recovery center will see a decrease in criminal activity, as those who are currently struggling with substance use disorder receive the treatment they need. While crime does tend to cluster around any sort of public establishment (stores, restaurants, government services locations), research sited by Johns Hopkins Magazine and the Recovery Research Institute show that such centers do not impact communities any more than other commercial business.

Safety of the individuals in recovery, staff, visitors, and the community is of paramount importance in the planning, design, and delivery of recovery center services and supports.

Examples of safety measures considered for the recovery center include:

• Building: design, cameras, key card entries
• Staff: 24-hour staffing, including peers, qualified experienced staff, ongoing training
• Medication: controlled distribution
• Visitors: structure and rules regarding family and friend visitation

We are committed to ongoing dialogue regarding neighborhood safety.

The nature of addiction – like other chronic diseases – means that for some people relapse, or a return to drug use after an attempt to stop, can be part of the process. A key part of all treatment will include a relapse prevention plan, which can include the recognition of warning signs and replacement behaviors instead of using substances.

Individuals who choose to leave the recovery center will be transported back to their home community.

Individuals transitioning back to their communities will have housing and be offered peer supports to help them get connected to services and supports outside of the recovery center. That process will be through “warm handoffs” where individuals aren’t just referred but are accompanied by peers. Employment or education opportunities will also be secured before transitioning back.

The county will be issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the construction and operations of the recovery center. Specific information related to physical design, capacity, programs/services, and safety measures will be solicited from community providers with extensive experience.

Moving forward, Clackamas County is forming a Good Neighbor Group that includes residents, surrounding organizations, and businesses as well as people in recovery. This representative group will also help establish a Good Neighbor Agreement between the county and the neighborhood. Such an agreement will outline provider and neighbor commitments.

The county will still utilize the property/site for other pressing needs, to be determined later.

No. Clackamas County’s deflection program is operated by the District Attorney’s Office. State funds for deflection were not used for this purchase, nor are they anticipated to be used for the program in the future.

Eventually, once the recovery center campus is up and running, it is possible that some individuals who go through the deflection process will come to the center campus for treatment and recovery.