The Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County has secured a site to help strengthen the community by offering hope and recovery to people struggling with addiction.

At least once a week you’ll find Rad Howland-Bolton at The Council to talk to his counselor. His journey hasn’t been easy, but if you take a moment and listen to his story, you’ll realize he’s a survivor.

“I am a drug addict and I suffered from various kinds of addiction, mainly heroin and cocaine for about 20 years now,” said Howland-Bolton.

He knew he needed help, joining hundreds in Tompkins County using services at the Council, which has now expanded to its new home in Lansing.

“We have not had a detox service in the Tompkins County area for well over 20 years, its long overdue and will fill a huge gap in the region,” said Angela Sullivan, the Executive Director of The Council.

It will be the first to provide addiction treatment services every day of the week, along with a medically-supervised detox and a stabilization unit with 40 beds.
The construction is now its first phase, offering open access for clients on the weekend.

This facility will fill a critical gap in addiction treatment and serve as a valuable healthcare resource for Tompkins and surrounding counties. The Open Access component of this program started operating in February. The residential detox and stabilization portion will follow as additional funding is secured and renovations are made to create an appropriate, healthy residential space.

This recovery facility will offer a safe, easily accessible and stigma-free environment for people with substance use disorders to seek help whenever they are ready – at any time of the day or night.

Clinicians will make assessments and work with each person to determine the most appropriate level of care. 

The Council has to secure state, federal and private funding to move ahead with the next phase of construction. Click here to learn more.