ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – A nonprofit in Roanoke is working to better the lives of pregnant women who are struggling with substance use. WDBJ7’s Kaira Willis got a tour of a new housing and treatment facility.
Anderson Treatment recently held a ribbon cutting for their new treatment house called the Grove on Patterson. This building will serve as a housing facility and treatment center for women with high-risk pregnancies who are struggling with substance abuse.
“It’s going to be for pregnant women who have a primary diagnosis of substance use disorder, they’ll come in when they’re pregnant, they’ll deliver their baby while they’re here and have their baby in treatment with them, which is really important. We want that. We want to keep parents and their children together. They shouldn’t have to separate from their children to get treatment,” said Anderson Treatment Chief Administrative Officer, Ali Hamed-Moore.
Hamed-Moore said 16 women will be able to apply to live in the seven-bedroom home on Patterson Avenue.
The home will offer treatment such as group therapy and individual counseling.
“Lots of group therapy. They’ll also have access to an individual counselor, case management and peer recovery support specialists,” she added.
The home provides women with an updated kitchen, dining and laundry room, as well as nursery space and a baby room.
Women are allowed to stay for 6 months at a time.
Several community members helped design the rooms, giving them a personal and homey feel.
“We have a mural in our baby room. All of our bedrooms were adopted by artists in the community who designed them with the color and the theme, and they’re all named after trees. So just a lot of loving intention has been put into the space,” said Hamed-Moore.
Thanks to various grants and generous donations, the home is finally ready after two years in the making.
Hamed-Moore is thankful this home will be a resource for others, because no mother should be shamed for trying to better herself for her baby.
“We don’t reserve more shame for any other group of people than pregnant women who use drugs. We heap Shame on them, and then we’re mad when they don’t seek treatment. And so I want them to have a loving place to receive treatment and to be the present and loving parent that all parents want to be. This is the place for that, and that’s how we break generational cycles,” she closed.
The Grove on Patterson will be open for patients starting the week of May 5th.
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Published on April 15, 2025 on WDBJ7 by Kaira Willis.
