By Steve Van Kooten
Every community struggles with addiction, and in many cases, services and resources are scarce for those seeking help as they try to overcome substance abuse.
Building Hope is Prairie du Chien’s answer for those who need a helping hand and a leg up on their road to recovery. They offer a community-based, peer-run center with an informal atmosphere for personal growth and socialization.
“Since we’ve opened, it’s amazing the people who have come to the doors and wanted help,” said Quinn Echard, the recovery center’s advisor. “What we want to do here is build a recovery community and integrate into the [larger] community.”
Building Hope provides one-on-one peer support, daily support groups, computer and internet access and a safe environment for those in need of a “trigger-free” space. They also offer harm reduction resources, including Narcan kits and fentanyl testing strips.
Ian Gillitzer, vice president of the Building Hope Board, said part of the organization’s purpose is to provide a social outlet for people that doesn’t revolve around alcohol consumption.
“The community that we’re trying to build is to make it okay to be sober and fit in. We want there to be a safe place in the community that doesn’t revolve around those things,” he said.
The building first opened this past August. Since then, services have expanded.
“We were just doing meetings, and the drop-in part wasn’t open,” said Echard. “That went on for a while. We were trying to get things running through just volunteers, and that wasn’t happening.”
On Dec. 29, the board voted to hire a staff person for the location as an advisor.
“Since then, drop-in has been open, meetings are open and growing and group sessions have started,” Echhard added.
Building Hope didn’t just appear one day on a whim; planning for a community space for people in recovery or struggling with substance addiction began at least two years ago. Meetings have been held monthly to look at possible locations, funding opportunities and services during that time.
Stakeholders looked at several places to house programs, including an open space closer to downtown as well as a building in Bridgeport, but Echard said where they ended up is “perfect” for what they are trying to do.
“It’s not in the center of downtown, with the bars and stuff, but it’s in the center of town where it’s close to downtown and Kwik Trip—it’s pretty much ideal,” said Echard.
Now that their location is open and running, Building Hope is welcoming the community in for an open house on Saturday, March 21, at noon.
The event is in collaboration with Crawford County’s treatment court. It will serve as an outreach for service organizations in the area and a way to support the people going through the treatment court’s program.
“It’s two participants’ leadership projects. One is doing a recovery luncheon with at-will donations going to Building Hope. The second one is a speaker meeting,” said Echard.
The speaker meeting will cover integrating peer support, treatment court and other recovery programs.
Other organizations that are expected to have informative material at the event include Crossing Rivers Health and Crawford County Health and Human Services, among others.
“People can see how we’re going to be collaborating,” said Echard. “We’re not here to be treatment court, we’re not Crossing Rivers and we’re not Human Services. We’re the bridge to get people to feel comfortable to go places.”
Building Hope is located at 133 South Michigan Street, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821. For more information, contact Building Hope at 608-380-1048 or buildinghopepdc@gmail.com or visit their website at www.buildinghopepdc.com.
