Funding Cuts Deliver Blow to Tewksbury Sober Home Plans

TEWKSBURY, MA — A group planning to open a longterm sober home with a goal to provide addiction treatment and recovery to those suffering from addiction in the Merrimack Valley has been dealt a serious blow.

During budget cuts announced on Dec. 6, Gov. Charlie Baker included cutting $200,00 in funding for Into Action Recovery, Inc. who planned to use the funding to purchase a home for its 12-step program, reports the Lowell Sun. The Sun's report further indicates the governor's "9C" budget cuts reduce funding to the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services.

NBC Boston reports that Into Action Recovery had been working to open the long-term sober home for two years. On top of the funding cuts, Into Action Recovery program director David Hanley's brother Derek Hanley recently passed away after a battle with addiction.

"It's unbelievable how many people are being lost that can't get treatment they're seeking," David Hanley told NBC Boston.

The report cites a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services, which stated that the Baker-Polito administration is "fully committed to investing in the recourses necessary to fight the opioid crisis."

Read more from the Lowell Sun and NBC Boston here.