Thomasine Gaines, a certified peer recovery specialist, is the first person that a pregnant or postpartum woman who is using opioids speaks to when she calls for help to For My Baby and Me, an innovative program in which The Rescue Mission of Trenton has partnered with Capital Health, HomeFront, Catholic Charities and Trenton Health Team to provide long-term recovery

“Five years ago, I was sleeping under a bridge,” Curtis said, glancing up, as if he could still see the cement overpass along Route 19 in Paterson. “Most nights, I fell asleep wishing I would not wake up in the morning,” he added. “I was so disappointed in myself, in my life. I didn’t want to go on anymore.” Shaking

What did Matt learn about himself? Matt’s counselor helped him open up to dealing with the trauma he experienced as a child, “some of the things that rattled my foundation,” as he said, including his father disappearing when he was born and his mother drowning when he was nine. What will be different this time? Getting ready to leave The

Narcan, if administered quickly and properly, can counteract the effects of an opioid overdose. Injected into the thigh’s muscle or sprayed in the nostrils, it can revive someone who is unresponsive, whose pulse and respiration seem nonexistent, whose pupils have been reduced to pinpoint size, and whose lips have turned blue or purple. In other words, it can resuscitate someone

This is a story about building confidence that was shaken to the core; about learning to trust again; starting to communicate openly and honestly; and the importance of giving thanks. Antonio was living in an abandoned house on North Clinton Avenue, right next to a church. He was invited there by two other guys he met at the Trenton Transit