The Women with Children Recovery Center is part of the overarching strategy to provide support, treatment, and resources to people engaging in recovery services by increasing access to mid- and long-term residential recovery services for the entire community.

There are currently limited programs in Guilford County that provide residential services for pregnant or parenting women. When our residents must travel outside of the county to receive this service, it creates significant challenges including:

• Removal from natural support systems
• Transportation barriers to get to service location
• Relocation of children from their school and friends
• Discharge from service into an unfamiliar community.   

The need is further shown through our foster care and in-home service population.

• In 2022, 69 children entered foster care due to substance abuse, and 18 (26%) of those children were under the age of one. 
• The single mother category represented 52% of families entering foster care. For single mother households entering foster care due to substance abuse there was an average of 1.7 children per household. 
• In 2022, 52 children were involved in In-Home Services due to substance misuse with 28 children (54%) between the ages of 0 to 5.  

The Women with Children Recovery Center will be located at Gibson Park in High Point. Currently the facility is utilized as the Guilford Residential Treatment Facility for residential recovery for individual adults, the facility has the capacity to accommodate up to 28 women. The proposed services include 24-hour residential substance use recovery specifically tailored for pregnant women and women with children ages 12 and under.

Guilford County Board of Commissioner Planning Committee on Women with Children Residential Recovery Services and a broad range of community stakeholders are working to formalize a program and facility design to provide this needed service in our community at Gibson Park in High Point.

The Guilford County Board of County Commissioners earmarked $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA-SLFRF) in October 2022 to support the completion of this project. 

Behavioral Health Care in Guilford County 

The County is completing a strategic plan for behavioral health services in Guilford County. This strategic planning includes a holistic look at the services currently provided and those still needed in the community. Services should cover a continuum of care to address the different stages of a person’s journey in recovery.

Guilford County Behavioral Health Services

Guilford County supports a range of providers, from treating overdose through EMS, harm reduction by GCSTOP, and crisis services and short-term facility-based recovery at the Guilford County Behavioral Health Centers. The County is currently working to expand access to mid- and long-term residential recovery services.

Updates on the Project

August 2024 Update:  At the August 1 board meeting, County Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas to serve as the service provider for the new Women with Children Recovery Center. Guilford County and Volunteers of America have developed a two phased approach to services delivery for the recovery center. Phase one, the program design phase, includes consultation on program design, facility design, and stakeholder engagement. Phase two, the service delivery phase, covers licensing the service, opening the facility, and provision of residential treatment services in the facility. Read more about the announcement here.

April 2024 Update:  On April 25, 2024, Guilford County began seeking a service provider for the Women with Children Recovery Center through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. After the RFP closes, a county review team will evaluate submissions and make a recommendation to the committee and Board of County Commissioners. Once the Women with Children Residential Recovery Services Planning Committee agree on a service provider, the county will work with the selected provider to survey the current facility at Gibson Park for their recommendations on construction, renovation, and/or remodeling on the new center. Once the Women with Children Residential Recovery Services Planning Committee receives, reviews, and agrees on those recommendations, the county will begin the procurement process for necessary site upfits.