On March 4th, we were honored to welcome U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to tour our former Sí Se Puede (SSP) Residential Program site, which will soon be replaced with our new state- of- the- art SSP Behavioral Health Center. Our new center will include expanded access to services including substance use disorder residential treatment, outpatient programs, and Medication Addiction Treatment (MAT) for adults and Transition Age Youth (ages 18-24).
Our CEO, Monica Martinez led the tour and walked Congresswoman Lofgren through our plans for the future site which include residential and outpatient buildings, beautiful healing garden spaces, family therapy rooms, community classroom, and basketball courts. Congresswoman Lofgren was also able to take a peek at Mid Pen’s affordable housing project located next door and learn more about our partnership for providing linkage to affordable housing for our clients.
We also were thrilled to hear from our SSP team. Program Manager Jorge and SSP Counselors Gabriel and Joseph shared their personal experiences with the Sí Se Puede program; all are graduates of SSP and now work at the program providing culturally relevant, trauma-informed services. Their stories were so inspiring and illustrate the importance of this program, and why we are ready to expand and offer expanded services to South County, which are needed now more than ever.
Adult SUD Residential Manager of Clinical Services Jillian described the balance of making the clients feel at home while having access to high-quality clinical services such as Medication for Addiction Treatment Services (MAT). These services are essential as the opioid epidemic continues to hit Santa Cruz County particularly hard, with opioid overdoses at an all-time high mainly due to the rise of fentanyl. We are so grateful for our incredible staff and appreciate them sharing their stories with the Congresswoman.
Construction is set to begin as soon as permits are issued, and we plan to open the new Sí Se Puede Center in the summer of 2025. Our current Sí Se Puede residents were relocated to a renovated facility in the area last month to continue our services and create a welcoming and warm space for both clients and staff while we build our new center.
We are so grateful for Congresswoman Lofgren’s ongoing support as a behavioral health advocate and affordable housing expert. With her help, we look forward to raising the final funds needed to complete the capital project and continue our 30-year history of providing treatment and wraparound services to the most vulnerable populations of our community. To learn more about the new center and to make a donation, visit https://www.sisepuedecenter.org/. We appreciate your support!