Guided by research about the holistic range of determinants that support recovery, Edna's Circle will provide: Housing Enhanced recovery home services are available for 15-18 men in three 3-bedroom apartments, with 1-2 men to a bedroom Medical Care On-site mobile health services for primary care, wound care, foot care, and mental health care Medications and other recovery supports for substance use disorder Links to higher level substance use disorder care and mental health care as needed Practical Needs Legal and social service support Lockers, laundry, food Employment opportunities Positive & pro-social activities Clean, healthy blocks and neighborhoods Connections Peer support Recovery meetings Connections to social and spiritual support institutions to create community Community street outreach including prevention of overdoses, education about options for recovery, and hospitality and an invitation to pursue recovery for potential participants Continuing support for alumni

Enhanced means more structured pro-social activities, including peer-led support; more access to any needed medication such as buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) or methadone; and more access to treatment for other mental health or physical health issues. Peer refers to other persons who are in recovery who are further along in their recovery and have achieved some time of not using substances. In achieving the goals that they are working towards, they can help be a sounding board and support for those who are earlier in their recovery, and will be company for the person when going out of the buildings for appointments. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, people who have worked with peer recovery coaches provide strong testimonies of the positive impacts of peer recovery support on their own recovery journeys. The research supports these experiences. While the body of research is still growing, there is mounting evidence that people receiving peer recovery coaching show reductions in substance use, improvements on a range of recovery outcomes, or both. Learn more about the importance of peer supported recovery: Science Advances Article: Reducing opioid use disorder and overdose deaths in the United States: A dynamic modeling analysis Podcast interview with one of our patients that demonstrates the power of peers: Voices of Recovery: Benefits of Peer Recovery Services in Primary Care Slides on peer recovery support services & their impact:

The corner of Jackson Boulevard and Pulaski Road on the West Side of Chicago is one of the centers of the current opioid overdose epidemic (see maps below), among other social and economic challenges in the area. On-the-street work with the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force (as convened by state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford) and seeing patients at this corner has confirmed the need. The July 30, 2021 Peace Walk at Jackson and Pulaski with Alderman Ervin, City Treasurer Conyears-Ervin, Pastor Brooks, Pastor Eaddy, Rev. Jones, other pastors, West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, Lawndale Christian Health Center, and other organizations and community members created a spirit that moved to action. Being proximate at Jackson and Pulaski: Unites people seeking and people providing recovery services; Honors people in the area by recognizing their roots and the strengths the area has given them Helps those who desire to advance in recovery to reduce or eliminate substance use that may not be helping them achieve their self-determined goals Lets those in recovery be blessed by their roots and then receive new spirit and resources for their on-going recovery process In addition, research shows that clients who traveled less than 1 mile were 50% more likely to complete treatment than clients who traveled more than 1 mile. Residents successfully coped with the substance use cues they encountered in their neighborhoods, with some of them asserting that these cues were actually opportunities to strengthen their ability to overcome the phenomenon of craving.

The name Edna is respected and should never be forgotten on the West Side of Chicago in memory of the well-known but now-closed West Side institution of Edna’s Restaurant, a place for breakfast and hospitality. A place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other leaders ate and had meetings, Edna’s Restaurant became a symbol of the spirit of the civil rights movement. Edna's Circle honors all of this history in memory of both Edna Stewart of Edna’s Restaurant and Edna Huggett, the deceased mother of one of the founding directors - both provided hospitality in thoughtful ways to the community, friends, and family. Edna's Circle strives to extend similar hospitality to all.

A circle is a symbol of God, wholeness, timelessness, the infinite, and the cyclical movement that typifies an honest recovery process. A circle implies not only a place but movement and change. Those gathered in a circle gain respect of all who are in the circle, and circles are vehicles of transformative change in recovery, restorative justice, and healing. A quilter, Edna Huggett often worked on projects in a circle with other quilters.

We are still doing construction and renovation of our buildings, but we plan to continue street outreach, Leadership Council meetings with those in recovery to form our programming, and hearing from you! We are humbled to work with our partners in this venture. Depending on the progress of construction and funding, we hope to welcome guests to stay at our enhanced recovery home soon! The need is so great! To get in touch, please email us at welcome@ednascircle.org. We would be happy to hear from you and to hear what you have to say! To make a donation, click here or scroll down to the bottom of this page.