LOCKPORT, N.Y. โ Save the Michaels of the World opened its Lockport Recovery Center in 2019 and moved to its current location on Walnut Street in May 2023.
Program director Emily Bouttain said the operation has expanded significantly, averaging about 1,000 visits a month, including services to about 100 homeless people.
“We've grown and we've increased our staff for safety and overall staffing reasons,” Butain said, “We've also had more supplies needed. Things like cleaning supplies that we're going to need more of, things that go through coffee cups quicker. Coffee, laundry detergent, all the things that you normally wouldn't think about.”
She said there are other outpatient clinics, but there's nothing else like the recovery centre in Niagara County and the surrounding rural areas.
“There's literally no other place to go,” Boutain said. “If people can't get here, the next best thing, and the only public place homeless people can go, is the public library. But public libraries don't have food, laundry or case managers. [and] Recovery coach.โ
The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Support allocates $500,000 annually to recovery, community and outreach centers across the state, adding another $35,000 last year for outreach and employee retention. Save the Michaels, which has a larger client base than the other groups, asked for additional funding, but in a letter earlier this month, OASAS told the group it was not responsible for deficits caused by unapproved expenditures and denied the request.
“As far as I know, we have enough funding through OASAS to get us through July,” Boutain said. “Funding comes back in October, so the questions remain about August and September.”
President and CEO Avi Israel told OASAS that Save the Michaels initially decided to close the facility, but then decided to stay open even if it meant taking extreme measures.
“We can't let our people die,” Israel said. “We're going to find a way to keep this facility open. I'm going to ask my people to help me. If I have to mortgage my house to build this facility, I'm going to do that.”
In Albany on Wednesday, a handful of activists expressed frustration to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee about the state's lack of action and plans to use available funds from the roughly $335 million that drug companies have already paid to New York for their responsibility in creating the epidemic.
“We need to have tons of funding available to grassroots organizations that can't get through the endless red tape that New York state puts on organizations to get funding. They need low-barrier funding for the people who are on the ground working every day to save people's lives,” said Alexis Preuss, founder and executive director of Truth Farm.
At least some state officials suggested they were listening, even if they weren't offering any immediate solutions.
“We need to continue to listen to these stories, not just listen but take action and determine if there's something we can do to drive change based on that person's experience,” said Joan Mohn, deputy commissioner of the New York State Department of Health.
“Save the Michaels provides a vital service to Western New York, and their work saves countless lives,” said State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt.
“Organizations on the front lines fighting addiction to opioids, prescription drugs and other dangerous substances are vital as we continue to fight this deadly epidemic, and it's important that we continue to provide them with the resources they need to support individuals struggling with addiction,” Ortt said in a statement.
Save the Michaels said it needs about $100,000 to close the gap until its next fundraising round in October.
“It may seem like a simple matter of opening in October,” Boutain said, “but not to people who are surviving day to day and facing death.”
The public can donate in person or by visiting savethemichaels.org , and the organization also welcomes donations of food and personal hygiene products.