Framingham Officials Welcome Peer Support Recovery Center

FRAMINGHAM, MA – City and state officials, along with community members, gathered Wednesday to celebrate Anchored in Recovery, a peer support recovery center where volunteer members can now participate in on-site educational, recreational and wellness sessions that support long-term recovery from addiction.

The MA Department of Public Health has 26 licensed peer support recovery centers throughout the state. Anchored in Recovery, a name recently selected by the center’s volunteer peer members, is operated by the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) and is free to anyone 18 years and older who is seeking a community in support of their sobriety.

Located at 19 Concord St. in downtown Framingham, the 5,000 square foot peer support recovery center opened just before the Covid-19 pandemic, and is now fully open and in-person weekdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with future plans to open on weekends. All activities and services are led and driven by “peers” –individuals who have experienced addiction and recovery, either directly or as a family member or friend.

Group therapy sessions are scheduled regularly, along with a range of educational and wellness classes, including music, art, boxing, meditation and yoga. The center is staffed with a program director, outreach director and a volunteer coordinator, and can accommodate up to 100 individuals.

“SMOC is honored to be partnering with the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) and its Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) to create this peer recovery center in downtown Framingham where individuals will voluntarily build their own community of peer support as they each work through their recovery,” SMOC President and CEO Susan Gentili said. “We believe in the strength found in a community of support and are excited to open the doors of this welcoming and safe haven, a place anchored in a shared mission to sustain each other throughout their long-term recovery.”

Each person receiving services at the center has the opportunity to become a peer mentor, volunteer or a program facilitator. Kevin ‘Lucky’ Lewis was asked by staff members to start a boxing class as part of the support services offered at Anchored in Recovery. At today’s Open House, Lewis, who began using drugs and alcohol at age 12, talked openly about his long path to recovery.

“For years I was committing crimes while under the influence and when I lost custody of my son, I knew it was time for a change,” he said. “The staff at the recovery center called me and asked if I would be interested in starting a boxing group here and I started two weeks later. I believe that physical activity is a big part of the recovery process and I love that I can share my passion for boxing.

“I hope people believe me when I tell them that life gets so much better when you’re sober,” Lewis added. “I’m planning my future for the first time and I want to keep helping others in their journey.”

Julia Ojeda, DPH Bureau of Addiction Services recovery support services coordinator, noted that this model of addiction recovery is successful when community members socialize, support each other, and become active participants in the daily functions of the center.

“It's incredibly important for people in recovery to understand that with hope, anything is possible,” she said. "Anchored in Recovery had the challenge of trying to open at the height of the pandemic but persevered through and is now the model recovery support center.”

For more information about Anchored in Recovery, or to make an appointment to tour the center, call 1-508-424-2520 or email here.