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Facility made room for more beds, need in the area
By Vivian Lopez –
The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in Stockton, California, recently expanded its bed capacity to serve more beneficiaries amid increasing need in the area.
When Stockton ARC Administrators Majors Nathalie and Sylvan Young arrived at the facility two years ago, the ARC had an 80-bed capacity that was utilized by only 39 men. When the decision was made to merge with the Sacramento ARC about four months ago, the Youngs knew the facility could accommodate more people.
“The Sacramento ARC is only 45 miles away from our center and…so we knew that there was going to be a need in the area,” said Sylvan Young, Stockton ARC Administrator for Business. “The hope is always that we allow more programming to more people for more chances at long-term recovery.”
In September, the Youngs started rearranging rooms and were able to fit 88 beds. Then, seeing more need, they combined the library, Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous and TV rooms into one area. They also moved every employee except those in resident management into the administration building. This freed up space for additional beneficiary living quarters, increasing the ARC’s capacity to 98 beds.
Before the new beneficiaries arrived, administrators added their names to the regular prayer list in the chapel services, and asked the current beneficiaries to pray for them.
“At this point, we had identified what room we were going to use, and it was only going to be temporary at the time, and has grown into permanent,” Sylvan Young said. “But what some of our men who were already here said is, “Why don’t you put us in the one big room, and let the new guys coming in have the better, smaller rooms?”
So, they listened. Since then, 10 beneficiaries transferred from the Sacramento ARC, and the remaining beds were quickly filled. A waitlist is in place for others seeking treatment at the facility.
“Our men are not just waiting until graduation and getting out of here; they’re wanting to stay on to phase two and three,” Young said. “They’re getting employment and doing the live in and work out.”
Currently, eight of the beneficiaries in the later phases of the program reside in the transitional living section of the residence. But with a full house averaging 100 beneficiaries living under one roof, there’s plenty of camaraderie.
“The fellowship in the residents is pretty strong,” added Richard Beaver, Stockton ARC Assistant Resident Manager. “They have a genuine care for each other, and that’s kind of unusual for the amount of men that you have here.”
This positivity extends beyond the walls of the Stockton ARC, as the beneficiaries have been connected to the local corps and are attending on Sundays. Many of their families are joining them as well.
“It just makes my heart very happy to see them reconnecting with their families, and…seeing a family here themselves as men in this program—building brotherhood and friendships that will last them when they graduate in their clean and sober lives,” said Nathalie Young, Stockton ARC Administrator for Program. “I am very excited for the men that are here in this program and how they are doing very well in their program, and it just makes me excited to watch them grow in their recovery.”
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