WS Chronicle

TROSA– a comprehensive, multi-year residential rehab program for substance abusers located in Durham – is looking to open a location in the Triad.

The City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County are both considering amending their zoning ordinances to allow for a group care facility of up to 250 residents so TROSA can open a local facility. Currently, zoning in the county only allows a group care facility of up to 40 residents. The matter was initially briefed before county commissioners last week. The City’s General Government Committee heard from TROSA on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt said she welcomes TROSA and felt it is needed locally.

“I’ve met with this group several times and I think they have an outstanding program,” she said.

“I think it’s a missing link of help that we have here in Forsyth County.”

TROSA COO Keith Artin said the rehab program serves people from around the state at its Durham facility. Forsyth and Guilford were among the top five counties its clients come from and TROSA would like to put its new facility in one of those counties

“Durham is helping a lot of people from throughout the state, but we don’t think it’s feasible to help more people out of the Durham location, so this next step of a satellite location is what we think is the right way to help more people,” he said.

Artin said TROSA is unique in several ways. It offers comprehensive treatment, work-based vocational training and education in a program that lasts two years.

“There are a lot of studies that show there’s a correlation between length of stay in residential treatment and successful outcomes for people who need residential treatment as their approach for their addiction,” he said.

TROSA offers its services at no cost to clients, 88 percent of whom are uninsured and don’t qualify for Medicaid.

The nonprofit mostly funds itself in Durham through a variety of social enterprises, including thrift stores, a lawn care business, a moving service and seasonal Christmas tree lots that sold 11,000 trees last year.  Artin said it probably won’t have the moving company at first in the Triad, but expects TROSA to open up the other enterprises locally.

TROSA operates a facility with 275 beds and another with 192 beds. Artin said the large size helps create a sense of community. It also means there’s enough residents to do things like cook meals for those staying there, maintain the property and work in the social enterprises.

Artin expects the Triad facility to start with up to 125 beds and will eventually hold up to 225 beds.

Ninety percent of those who make it through the two-year program maintain sobriety, employment, stable housing and have no additional arrests a year after they graduate. Two-thirds of the 70-member staff at TROSA are graduates from its program.

The new zoning use that’s being considered is called “Group Care Facility C” and would be in General Business districts with Special Use District Rezoning that are approved by either the City Council or County Commissioners. TROSA has yet to narrow down particular sites to look at for the new facility.