BCD, originally an outreach program of Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church, has grown into a neighborhood support center that helps community members with housing, substance-abuse treatment, job training, health and wellness programs, and more.
By Michelle Okabayashi*
Pulaski County, home to Arkansas’ capital city of Little Rock, has higher rates of inhalant drug abuse (including crack cocaine and methamphetamines) than the rest of the state, with only 21.4 percent of the people in the county who need drug abuse treatment receiving it. The Global Health Unit of Global Ministries is working to address this gap in care by supporting organizations such as Better Community Development, which serves communities in Little Rock.
BCD, originally an outreach program of Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church, has grown into a neighborhood support center that helps community members with housing, substance-abuse treatment, job training, health and wellness programs, and more.
The Hoover Treatment Center, a program of BCD, provides an opportunity for men and women to overcome their addictions and experience the abundant life that God desires for us all. “I came to BCD because I knew I needed help and I didn’t want to start this next chapter of my life being addicted to drugs,” said Robert Bradley, 57, who is battling 25 years of addiction and is getting a new start on life through the treatment program. “[BCD] has given me the tools to stay clean as well as a clean home and a place to lay my head,” he said.
Holly Taylor, 24, has also found hope through BCD. “At first, I only stayed because I didn’t want to go to prison,” she said of her initial time at the treatment center. “After a month, something in my heart started to change.” Taylor points to the love and care she’s found at BCD as critical to her recovery. “They showed me that I was worthy to live,” she said.
A nearly $100,000 grant given to BCD last year from Global Ministries’ Global Health Unit gave support to this program that promotes mental health, substance-abuse prevention and recovery among youth, adults and families. The program takes a holistic approach, focusing on mind, body and spirit, and serves approximately 70 men and women through their residential and outreach initiatives each year. The Hoover Treatment Center uses a 12-step approach with a spirituality component as its foundation. The program focuses on prevention, support, treatment and continuum of service, with the goal of preparing clients for the lifelong journey of recovery. Additionally, an alumni program keeps graduates connected and on the path of productive recovery.
“Hoover Treatment Center program gave me hope, and that’s a life changer for me,” wrote Taylor.
You can support abundant life for all people through your gifts to Abundant Health, Advance #3021770.
*Michelle Okabayashi is a freelance writer and editor for Global Ministries.
