Mayor Cherelle Parker on Wednesday announced the opening of the Riverview Wellness Village, a recovery housing property at 7979 State Road in Holmesburg.
Parker, who has been in office for a year, said more recovery beds are needed for people who are coming out of inpatient substance use disorder treatment, often programs that last 30, 60 or 90 days.
All residents of Riverview will be in recovery for up to a year, then they’ll seek permanent housing with continued support. Individuals will be men and women, 18 or older.
“This is about putting people on a path to self-sufficiency,” Parker said.
Parker said an advisory council has been created to offer input, if needed. She does not want the site described as a drug treatment facility because of the stigma.
“This is a wellness center,” she said, adding that the center is not opening solely in response to the drug activity in Kensington.
Parker added that the center is not criminalizing drug abuse, saying its location next to prisons is coincidental. She sees the center as part of a comprehensive long-term strategy in substance abuse that can be a model for the nation.
The property was most recently a men’s shelter. In 2022, the city announced it would build 28 Tiny Houses for homeless women, over age 55. But Parker thought that was a crazy idea, since the kitchen and bathroom would be in a separate building than the housing.
Instead, the buildings on the 19-acre campus have been renovated for recovery housing.
The campus encompasses a central meeting house, which will host most of the indoor amenities, and six smaller residential cottages: Acorn, Birch, Cedar, Dogwood, Fernwood East and Fernwood West. All cottages and the main building are interconnected by corridors and solariums, except Fernwood East and West, which is a stand-alone building located on the northwest side of the site. Together, the Riverview buildings total about 127,000 square feet.
There are 340 beds across six residential cottages, with plans for 300 or so more beds.
Onsite services consist of primary healthcare, connections to substance use disorder services, chronic disease management, nutritional counseling and mental and behavioral health support delivered in collaboration with partners like the Black Doctors Consortium and Merakey.
Life skills and workforce development services are culinary training, art therapy, community gardening and employment support programs to help residents prepare for independent living.
There are also recreational areas and fitness facilities.
“This is truly a one-stop shop,” said Isabel McDevitt, the city’s executive director of community wellness and recovery.
The first cottage to accept residents this month is Fernwood, which offers 132 recovery beds. Capacity for another 200-plus beds will open shortly.
“The need is there,” said managing director Adam Thiel, adding that the wellness village will help substance users who’ve gone through treatment “complete that journey.”
A new 95,000-square-foot multi-story facility will be built that will be complemented by sports and recreational fields, an orchard and a community garden.
McDevitt said referrals will be made from inpatient providers after someone has completed 30 days or more of intensive treatment. They’ll stay at the village for up to a year.
“People will graduate into independent housing,” McDevitt said. “This is a step between treatment and independent living.”
Parker was also joined by Aparna Palantino, Deputy Managing Director of Capital Program Office; Crystal Yates-Gayle, Deputy Managing Director of Health & Human Services; and Adam Geer, Chief Public Safety Director.
Others on hand included City Councilman Mike Driscoll; Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada; state Sen. Tina Tartaglione; state Rep. Pat Gallagher; and state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty.
When Parker first announced her plans last June, Driscoll said his top priorities are the safety of local neighborhoods and that local residents are prioritized first for services at the village.
Two days after Parker’s June announcement, City Council approved $100 million for the center, and the mayor indicated she will be asking for more, as the village is ultimately expected to offer about 650 recovery beds. ••
