SPRINGFIELD — District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s office awarded a Community Support Grant of $20,000 to Christian and Brian’s House, a recovery house in Springfield. In total, Gulluni’s office has awarded $45,000 to the house.
Gulluni attended Cathedral High School with Brian Metzger and Christian Diaz, for whom the house in named.
“I knew them both from our time at Cathedral and all growing up in Forest Park,” Gulluni said. “They were both great kids who played sports, had huge circles of friends, and loved life.”
He continued, “As we know, addiction can strike anyone, anywhere, and Brian and Christian’s journeys tell similar stories to many: talented and hopeful lives interrupted and shortened by addiction. With this grant, we hope to honor their lives and carry on their legacies by helping others live long and full lives in recovery.”
Recovery houses, also known as sober-living houses, are temporary group residences that provide structured substance-free environments for people to work on their recovery. At the two recovery houses run by the Michael J. Dias Foundation — Christian and Brian’s House and Michael’s House — residents work the 12-step program of addiction recovery. For those who finish the program, but want to continue living in a support environment, the foundation also operates Sean’s Place, a residence that provides support for people in recovery as they transition back into society. All these houses are dedicated to serving men.
In June, the foundation launched a capital campaign to fund a women’s recovery house. Gulluni pledged at least $10,000 from his drug forfeiture account to support the program once a house is identified and purchased.
“There’s a need for women,” said Angel Soltero, assistant to Michael J. Dias Foundation Executive Director Karen Blanchard. She explained that while there are many facilities for men in recovery, only three recovery houses in Western Massachusetts serve women.
The foundation will look for an auctioned house around Springfield, Chicopee or Holyoke that will house up to 16 people and meet the program’s needs. If none are available, she said the foundation would build one.
The campaign has a goal of $500,000 to purchase or build a house that meets the program’s needs. So far, the foundation has raised $159,000, in part through a recent 5K at Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke. It also received $75,000 from the Ludlow Opioid Fund.
Despite the houses being in Springfield, the foundation is based in Ludlow, as its namesake, Michael Dias, was a Ludlow resident who died by suicide while grappling with addiction. The foundation also offers a support group for family and friends of people with addictions at Ludlow’s Our Lady of Fatima every second and fourth Tuesday.
A golf outing at the Ludlow Country Club on Oct. 7 in the foundation’s next fundraiser for the women’s house project. There are still openings for 10 foursomes in the outing. Single golfers can participate for $150, or $600 for a foursome. All proceeds will go directly to the campaign, and Soltero said there are also campaign sponsorships available.
To learn more about the Michael J. Dias Foundation, visit mdiasfoundation.org.
