CLINIC STRIVES TO ASSIST ADDICTS

Structured Program Looks To Repair Lost Lives

RALEIGH - Midway through his senior year, Tim Moss found himself
living with a crowd different from his fraternity brothers - a group
of homeless men trying to reclaim their lives at a drug and alcohol
rehabilitation center.

"The first night I was there, I just remember looking around the room,
and it just hit me like a ton of bricks," Moss said. "I was sleeping
in a homeless shelter with 81 other homeless men, and it was really
emotional."

Since completing the rehabilitation program, Moss is on the brink of
graduating from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and
working for WRAL's local news broadcast.

But just like most of the men who begin at The Healing Place of Wake
County, Moss needed to hit the bottom before he could stage his comeback.

"It represents the wall that these guys have to slam against,"
Development Director Allen Reep said of the 3-ton red clay wall
sculpture in The Healing Place's courtyard.

Spanning the courtyard that seems more like one of UNC's plush quads
than a rehabilitation center is another wall engraved with the 12
steps of recovery and an archway that signifies completion of the curriculum.

The courtyard's aesthetics are only the beginning of the program's
structured nature.

"It's a program of positive movement," said Reep, a graduate of UNC
and assistant director of the UNC Marching Tar Heels for nearly 20
years.

During one of the program's initial stages, the men walk six miles a
day, five days a week, regardless of the day's weather. "They call it
trudging," Reep said.

Modeled after a pilot program in Louisville, Ky., The Healing Place
has experienced tremendous success - more than 70 percent of its
graduates are still clean a year after finishing the program.

The program is well financed and draws its support from government and
private sources.

"The money that these people raise is astonishing," said Paige Rainey,
who is training for a position at the center.

It also has experienced bipartisan support. Republicans advocate the
program because of its cost-effective nature, and Democrat support
stems from its social contributions.

Reep said 60 to 80 percent of people living on the street have a drug
or alcohol problem. "This facility attacks that problem," he said.

The Healing Place also incorporates an emergency shelter and a
sobering-up center. A key component of the program is its peer support
network that is comprised of men ranging from former CEOs to those who
had spent their lives on the streets.

"There's something to learn from everyone and everyone's experiences,"
Moss said.

Michael Clemons grew up as the son of a minister but found himself at
The Healing Place after a drug addiction nearly took his life.

"I didn't set out to set up a crack house," he said. "It just got out
of control, and that's when I ended up with a crack house."

Clemons has progressed through the program and now works in what is
dubbed the facility's "nerve center" - a planning room that charts the
progress of residents.

Despite the complexities and symbolism that are incorporated into The
Healing Place's formula, Reep characterized its mission simply.

"It's about helping people find their way back."