Helping a Loved One Through Addiction:
November is a time for gratitude — for family, for second chances, and for the strength found in community. Yet for many families across Greater Cleveland, this season can also be filled with worry. Countless parents, siblings and friends are watching someone they love battle addiction or homelessness and feel powerless to help.
If that describes you, please know this: you are not alone, and there is real, effective help right here in Cleveland.
At the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, we believe in the potential of every person — no matter where their journey has taken them. That belief is at the heart of Y-Haven, our program that provides addiction treatment, mental health services, job training, and transitional housing for men and women in Cuyahoga County who are rebuilding their lives.
Y-Haven has been changing lives for nearly 30 years. But what’s most powerful about it isn’t the building or the programs — it’s the people.
In a recent video, several residents shared what Y-Haven meant to them. One man put it simply: “Y-Haven gave me a chance to live. You will have hope. You will have people around you who’ve been through the same muck and mire that you were in.” Another said, “They want to see you succeed. They do anything they can to help you — even if you just need to cry in their office for a while.”
Each story begins with pain but ends in purpose. One resident found peace of mind for the first time in years: “It got me to love myself again, to appreciate the little things I used to take for granted when I was out on the streets.” Another called coming to Y-Haven “a power move in your life,” because it means choosing healing, not giving up.
That choice is where loved ones can play an important role. While no one can force another person to accept treatment, family and friends can be the spark that helps them see a different path. Simple words of belief — “You can do this; there’s help waiting for you” — can open a door. Sometimes, knowing that someone still sees their worth is enough to make a person reach for hope.
When someone does choose recovery, Y-Haven surrounds them with the structure, compassion and community they need to succeed. Residents receive counseling and medical care, participate in support groups, find employment and eventually move into independent housing. But more than anything, they rediscover belonging — that feeling of being cared for and capable again.
As one resident said, “You have to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. When you’re ready, Y-Haven is the perfect place to come and get back on your feet.” To hear directly from some of our residents, watch this video.
If you’re a loved one watching someone struggle, take heart. There are places — and people — ready to help. The journey to recovery is rarely easy or fast, but it begins with hope and community. And those are things our YMCA is built to provide.
During this season of giving thanks, I am grateful for the courage of those who seek healing and for the compassion of those who never stop believing in them. Together, we can help more people find their way from crisis to confidence — and to lives filled with purpose, belonging, and love.