Forging Forward: TCV Community Services
TCV Community Services participant Paul Revak’s life has taken many twists and turns, as any life would. He served in both the US Navy and later, the US Army during the Vietnam War era. At 69, he is a grandfather, great-grandfather, and calming voice of counsel and wisdom to countless Pittsburgh-area residents struggling with addiction, just as he has. “TCV and their Alternatives program serve the underserved in our city. Last year, there were 90,000 overdose deaths in the United States, and the need has never been more important for the services that TCV provides. They can’t do what they do without funding, and with more funding, they could do more of what they do. Today, I have a happy, joyous, and free life and the experience, strength and hope I’ve gained from TCV helps me be grateful every day.”
Photo and caption by Jeff Swensen.
Forging Forward 2021 is a series of six articles about organizations helping our region make progress on the significant issues challenging our friends and neighbors. The series is presented with the generous support of ThePittsburgh Foundation.
The #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert, a day of online giving to organizations doing vital work, is on August 3: mark your calendars and plan to be part of something great!
When we think of health and wellbeing, mental health and substance abuse services are often left out of the conversation. And if the past year has taught us anything, it is that anyone can find themselves in need of support.
TCV (formerly known as Turtle Creek Valley) Community Services, serves people who have addiction disorders at the Alternatives building on the Southside as well as people from all over Allegheny county with main sites in Braddock, Turtle Creek and Homestead. TCV works to fill the gaps to provide a continuum of services, care and support that empowers individuals, families and communities with behavioral, mental health, substance abuse and/or developmental issues to sustain their recovery and achieve the important possibilities in their lives.
The organization, which has been around for more than 40 years, has become known to the communities it serves as a quality provider of mental health and drug and alcohol treatment. Over the years, they have served thousands of our friends and neighbors with compassion.
“When Covid-19 hit, we knew that people would have to isolate and not be able to be around their support systems which can make it harder to get through the days,” said executive director Frances Sheedy Bost.
Because the organization looks at substance abuse as a disease of connectedness, it recognized that in the last 15 months our communities haven’t been able to reach out to one another, thereby making those experiencing this disease feel further isolated. Without being able to go to in-person meetings, or places of worship, or be around family and friends, TCV saw an uptick in individuals with addiction issues coming in for treatment.
Paul Revak, a TCV clients who has been sober and in active recovery or more than 40 years, noted that this is the most important time that he’s ever seen for an organization like TCV.
“The pandemic has thrown most recovery programs into a tailspin since most in-person meetings ended in March of 2020. Some still aren’t back. Moving to Zoom isn’t the same,” he said. “I’m so tired of going to funerals. We don’t want to see people dying from overdoses because they can't find support. We want people to reach out to us and let us help them work towards recovery,” he added.
TCV offers plenty of services, including same day evaluations. “We know because of the pandemic people are hesitant to go to the emergency room,” said Paul Freyder, director of drug and alcohol programs. “The severity of need in our communities right now coupled with the pandemic has allowed us and other providers to say that there is no wrong door for accessing treatment,” he added.
The goal is to connect people with the services that they need, meeting people where they are -- whether it’s outpatient treatment, rehabilitation centers, halfway houses or other programs.
Bost also understands that addiction hits everyone. “There isn’t one age group or demographic that isn’t impacted, which is why we provide services to people whether they have insurance or not,” she said.
The organization supports many of the working poor because 40 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. “So many hardworking people don’t have access to private treatment centers and that’s why we emphasize that everyone deserves access to quality care,” she added.
At the end of the day, the organization is hopeful that the Critical Needs Campaign will help them to continue to raise the funds necessary to hire the best mental health and substance abuse specialists committed to serving the communities.
“That’s why I wanted to talk about this aspect of TCV for the article because we want people to get help and reach out,” said Bost. “They don’t have to go it alone. This is what we will do with the funds. We will continue to provide the very best to our communities because everyone deserves a chance to thrive,” she added.
Learn more about TCV Community Services HERE and support our neighbors in need.
Check out other stories in our Forging Forward 2021 series:
Frances Sheedy Bost, executive director of TCV Community Services. Photo by Jeff Swensen.
Learn more about how you can give back and create a healthier future for all of Allegheny County HERE. Or get involved as part of The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Critical Needs #ONEDAY online giving event on August 3. All donations of $25 and more are eligible for a portion of $525,000 in giving incentive funds provided by the Foundation and its donors. More information here.
Cindi Holmes Dawkin who has counseled folks for 40 years at TCV. Photo and caption by Jeff Swensen.
Check out other stories in our Forging Forward 2021 series:
STORY BY NATALIE BENCIVENGA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF SWENSEN
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