GREENSBORO, N.C. – A new long-term recovery and treatment center opened Monday in Greensboro, marking what Guilford County leaders described as a major shift in how the county addresses homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges.
The Reverend Prince Edward Graves Recovery and Treatment Center, located on Lees Chapel Road, is designed to provide extended treatment services for people experiencing homelessness who are also battling substance use disorders and mental health conditions. County leaders said the facility moves beyond short-term stabilization programs and instead focuses on long-term recovery aimed at lasting stability.
Officials said many existing recovery programs last only three to four weeks, which they say is often not enough time for someone dealing with addiction, trauma, and untreated mental illness to fully stabilize. The new center will accept patients transferred from short-term treatment facilities and allow them to remain in care longer, giving them time to address underlying mental health needs, receive counseling, and develop a plan for reintegration into the community.
Commissioner Melvin “Skip” Alston said many people experiencing homelessness once had stable lives before addiction or mental health struggles upended them.
“Most of those folks had a trade before they got caught up in drugs, they had a mental problem, they lost their job, lost their home, lost their family, now they are sleeping on the street. How can we help them get back to where they were?” Alston said.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The facility is named for the Rev. Prince Edward Graves, a longtime Greensboro pastor and community advocate who worked with underserved and vulnerable populations. County officials said naming the center after Graves reflects his commitment to helping people rebuild their lives and get second chances.
Guilford County invested nearly $10 million in the project, including renovations to convert a former assisted living facility into a recovery-focused campus. The center will initially serve about 32 residents, with plans to expand. At full capacity, leaders estimate it could serve about 60 individuals at a time.
County officials estimate more than 600 individuals are currently experiencing homelessness in Guilford County, underscoring what leaders described as the need for additional long-term treatment facilities.
Alston said investing in treatment could reduce long-term public costs tied to incarceration, hospitalizations, and repeated emergency responses.
“Pay me now or pay me later, either we support them while they’re in jail, okay, or we support them while they are in hospitals, or we support them when they are basically sleeping out on the street, and we’re having to send people out there in order to help them,” Alston said.
County leaders said the center’s services include long-term substance use treatment; individual and group mental health counseling; on-site medical care; medication management; dedicated caseworkers assigned to each client; frequent follow-ups during and after treatment; job readiness and employment assistance; help securing permanent housing; and transportation services. Officials said clients will receive coordinated care, including support for people coming from hospitals, jails, or outreach programs on the streets, with the goal of reducing repeat crises and breaking the cycle of homelessness.
The center will primarily accept people through referrals from short-term treatment facilities, Guilford County social services, local hospitals, jail diversion programs, street outreach teams, and partner agencies working with homeless populations. The facility is operated in partnership with Daymark Recovery Services, which provides mental health and substance use treatment across North Carolina.
People seeking help can begin the process by contacting Daymark Recovery Services directly, calling Guilford County Behavioral Health services, speaking with a hospital social worker or case manager, or reaching out to local homeless outreach organizations. County leaders said transportation assistance is available for people experiencing homelessness who may otherwise have difficulty accessing the facility.
Officials emphasized that one center will not fully address homelessness in Guilford County.
“We have 600 or more people that are sleeping out there on the streets now, and this would only serve address approximately 62. So we need more long-term treatment to be sure we’re serious about addressing the homeless situation and thereby meeting them where they are,” Alston said.
Plans are underway for a separate women-and-children treatment facility that would allow mothers to receive care without being separated from their children. County leaders said that the facility could open within about 14 months. Officials also said they hope to replicate the long-term recovery model in other parts of Greensboro and Guilford County.