COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE RENT RELIEF PROGRAM 

FULL PRESS RELEASE

MARCH 28, 2020

Carmela Dalton, President of The Think of Michael Foundation, announced today that in response to the global Covid-19 Pandemic, the Foundation contributed $10,000.00 to The Gavin Foundation to assist it in its Rent Relief Program.

The program will benefit those individuals in recovery and currently housed in a certified sober house.

Think Of Michael was founded two years ago after Carmela lost her son, Michael, to an opiate overdose while in outpatient treatment.

Since its founding, they have granted “scholarships” to individuals referred to them by a network of clinicians who have been closely involved in the treatment of the individuals. The clinician's referral is accompanied by a written request from the individual stating why he or she feels that a transition to sober house living will greatly increase their chances of sustained long-term recovery. The typical scholarship subsidizes rent for a month, providing the individual extra time to obtain employment and helps relieve some of the anxiety and stress associated with their transition to the next phase of their recovery. While sober houses are a critical component to many people's recovery, health insurance does not provide any coverage for sober house living.

She went on to say that due to the current Covid-19 Pandemic, "people in recovery are in need of our help more than ever" as they have been devastated by not only the loss of employment and its financial impact, but also the forced cancellation of all support groups and changes to individual therapy access – both critical to sustaining sobriety, especially in early recovery.

John Mcgahan, President & CEO of The Gavin Foundation stated that his organization “is very concerned for people in early recovery living in sober homes - many of whom will not qualify for unemployment benefits because they have been out of the workforce due to their addiction. We are most grateful to The Think of Michael Foundation and others for supporting our Rental Assistance Program for individuals living in a certified Massachusetts Alliance Sober Home. We need to continue to support these individuals in their recovery and continue to outreach/engage people in active addiction and get them off the streets into treatment.”

Michael Aschkenasy, The Gavin Foundation’s Director of Development, said that "The Think Of Michael Foundation’s contribution will go a long way in helping us through this trying time.”

Mrs. Dalton also thanked Representative Brad Jones, the Minority Leader of the House, for assisting in their Outreach Program and introducing them to Jennifer Halstrom, the Director of Housing & Homeless Services within the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS). Mrs. Dalton said that Jennifer had been involved in discussions with the Dalton family regarding their Outreach Initiative before this crisis evolved. Then this past week, she reached out and said, “the public health crisis has affected those in recovery in an inordinate way” and suggested that we talk with John Mcgahan of The Gavin Foundation since our interests are very much aligned. 

Once we spoke with John, we knew that their efforts warranted our financial support and we were happy to do so.