New York Governor David A. Paterson was in Long Island City on Wednesday, April 15, to participate in the ceremonial opening of Reality House, Inc., an organization that assists with substance abuse problems and HIV treatment.
Founded in 1967, Reality House was previously based in Harlem but recently relocated to Queens.
“The community has embraced us,” said Reality House Executive Director Lenard Hebert adding, “We are very happy to be in Long Island City; we are very happy to be in Queens.”
The mission of the organization, which also focuses on helping veterans, is to “assist individuals, families and communities lead productive and positive lifestyles and to achieve higher levels of accomplishments.”
As the keynote speaker, Paterson spoke of legislation that will reform drugs laws from being “sheer punishment” to now address treatment. Paterson also announced that the initiative, Addictions Collaborative to Improve Outcomes for New York (ACTION) has been established.
“The effects of addiction are devastating, not only for individuals with addiction and their families, but for society as a whole,” Paterson said. “The ACTION initiative represents a new way to look at how addiction impacts various public systems and will focus the collective efforts and resources of those systems on developing a comprehensive approach toward addressing this pervasive problem.”
During his remarks, Paterson thanked Reality House and its staff for the work they have done. He also said that they will bring the same hope to Queens that they brought to other places.
“They do so much for so many people,” Paterson said.
Assemblymember Catherine Nolan also spoke during the ceremony. She said that the work being done by Reality House is critical to the community and the future envisioned for the area.
Another speaker at the event was New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo. She also spoke about the work being done to provide treatment and not just punishment.
Currently, Reality House offers outpatient services. However, it expects to open a permanent location in Astoria in 2010 that will be “a 30 bed veterans’ residence for substance abusers and a medically-supervised outpatient chemical dependency treatment program for the community and their families,” according to the organization’s web site.
For more information on Reality House, visit www.realityhouseny.org or call 212-281-6004.
