Dear Friends,

Each spring as I sit down to write this letter, I’m amazed at how much we’ve accomplished in a year. I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for our loyal champions and dedicated staff who make our mission possible. And, for a fleeting moment, I cling to the possibility that the coming year will get a bit easier. But then I remember…we didn’t sign up for easy.

There’s nothing easy about addiction or recovery. And with a mission to offer innovative peer-based, recovery- oriented services to homeless, uninsured, and underserved individuals with alcoholism and other drug addictions, our line of work will never be easy.

We have always been committed to standing in the gap with resilience for our community’s most underserved neighbors. In 2023, we offered hope to an average of 429 people every day (with the average spiking to 477 in the last six months of the year). Additionally, we re-opened our men’s overnight emergency shelter to respond to an unprecedented spike in homelessness due to a substantial lack of affordable and accessible housing. We did this for several reasons:

– Countless research studies have revealed a direct correlation between increases in homelessness and increases in alcohol and drug overdoses.

– Wake County’s resources were stretched to their limit and our community needed us.

– Since our inception, Healing Transitions has always been a service provider for individuals experiencing homelessness offering three core services: a non-medical detox, a long-term recovery program, and a low-barrier emergency shelter. In the last four years alone, unsheltered homelessness has nearly doubled (from 236 individuals in 2019 to 463 individuals in 2023).

Standing in the gap means providing for our community’s most pressing needs. In 2023, that meant recovery and refuge. Whatever brings our underserved neighbors here, we will do everything we can to serve them, because a closed door can mean the difference between life and death.

Finally, under the leadership of our Board of Directors, 2023 saw the launch of an exciting three-year strategic plan! We’re well underway tackling key goals to diversify funding and improve operational effectiveness and information technology.

As expansion projects near completion from our Recovery Can’t Wait capital campaign, we’re ramping up to finally have the proper capacity to accommodate the growing demand. Our future is bright because recovery is possible and we have supporters like you investing in us every step of the way! Read on and enjoy the miracles that unfolded in 2023.

One day at a time,

Chris Budnick, Executive Director