Charlotte respite center opens ‘a space for healing’ mental health crises
Cherene Caraco sits in the garden of her organization’s new respite center and takes it all in.
The leafy-green gardens, cozy seating and babbling fountain outside. Inside, rooms with pastel colors and walls adorned with encouraging messages.
Caraco, CEO of Promise Resource Network, a peer-run mental health service agency in Charlotte, sees a place for people experiencing mental health crises to navigate their struggles surrounded by people who have been through it themselves.
Promise Resource Network will soon open Retreat @ The Plaza, the first peer-run respite center in Mecklenburg County, as an alternative to hospitalization or law enforcement involvement for someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
Caraco thinks back to her last suicide attempt when she was 19.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, she recalled thinking “death would be better than an involuntary commitment,” not because of the handcuffs and restraints, but the strip searches and lack of privacy when bathing.
“I would rather die than have that level of vulnerability with my body ever again,” she said.
The new center, located at 2224 The Plaza, will soon have space for three people who can stay up to 10 days each. All guests will be voluntary self-referrals. The center is free for users and no insurance is required.
Because it’s a peer-led center, it will be staffed 24/7 with people who have personal experiences such as mental health challenges, addiction and recovery, or have survived a suicide attempt.
“When I walk around the space...I’m so grateful,” Caraco said. “I wish this were available to me when I was going through some of the worst of my moments, and I’m grateful it’s going to be available to others.”
An alternate option
Involuntary commitment petitions in the state have increased 91% in 10 years, according to data analyzed by North Carolina Health News.
During an involuntary commitment, medical professionals or lay people like a friend or relative can petition a judge to force someone believed to be a threat to themselves or others into psychiatric treatment.
Removing someone’s ability to make their own decisions can be traumatic, advocates say, and the involuntary stays jeopardize employment and cause further disruptions when they leave treatment.
The center can provide services for about $111 a day, compared with more than $2,000 a day for an inpatient hospital stay in North Carolina, Caraco said. The program’s first year is funded through a grant from the managed care organization Cardinal Innovations.
Guests can come and go, attend work, school and their doctor and therapy appointments. They can cook their own meals, participate in Promise Resource Network’s other programs, and get connected to mental health and recovery services when they leave. “It truly is trauma-informed space for healing,” Caraco said.
And they can connect with people with similar experiences and see examples of successful recovery, said Sharon Galusky, educator and peer support specialist.
“It makes people much more comfortable,” she said. “It helps people be more real with themselves and somebody else when you know that person’s been there. They understand fear and anger and loneliness, (even) if we don’t have the exact same experience.”
Respite center staff expect check-ins to begin later this month; they will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more about the program, call (704) 390-7716 or email respite@promiseresourcenetwork.org.
Promise Resource Network’s 24/7 confidential, non-crisis peer support “warm-line” is available at (833) 390-7728.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 2:23 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)