EB Hope Foundation
The EB HOPE initiated Substance Abuse Outreach and Intervention Drop-In Center strives to proactively provide a gateway to professional resources for persons with SUDs (Substance Use Disorders) and friends and/or family members of persons with SUDs.
On Saturday October 28, 2017, a Catholic priest of a local church in a small town in Massachusetts’ south shore was a guest speaker at Family Healing from Addictions service at Holy Ghost Church in Whitman, MA and he spoke of how in 6 weeks’ time he had blessed the funerals of six young men from overdoses. He carries their cards with him always because “he never wants to forget them”. In the monthly newsletter of Holy Ghost Church Addiction Healing Service, it reported that the priest calls this crisis an opiate plague because a plague not only affects the individual but also affects the community. Karen McWilliams, RN of Holy Ghost Church in Whitman also wrote in this same Healing Service newsletter “The drugs/alcohol enslaves the person and the chains keep them from the truth and a happy life. We are in a time of history where we can’t turn to our parents or elders and ask advice on what to do because they have never seen this silent war before.” Karen can be reached at; [email protected].
According to Susan Silva, founder of EB Hope this type of tragic story is being told across our country in places of worship, of all faiths and across all socio-economic levels. Susan Silva can be reached at [email protected]. EB Hope was founded in 2013 by Susan Silva as a small Non-Profit organization. Its drop-in center concept was pioneered in 2015 and duplicated by many other interested organizations.
This young non-profit organization has accomplished many things, but mostly what best describes them is that they are a gateway to resources and services much needed by those who are suffering from Substance Use Disorder as well as the family. It seems to have a real living partnership with the whole community… a needed link to its success. This “whole community” approach includes many faith based groups as well as private, public, businesses, and political associations. The reach is impressive and the potential is filled with Hope.
The group has expanded to form an alliance with several Chiefs of Police as well as a significant number of recovery networks throughout the South Shore of Massachusetts. At any given time, their drop-in center meetings may be manned by 15-20 dedicated volunteer representatives from the numerous affiliated groups ready to assist individuals or family members of individuals seeking assistance. Below you will find the East Bridgewater Police Department’s Press Release highlighting their First All-County Meeting on Tuesday July 18, 2017, which was attended by representatives of the 27 Police Chiefs, FBI, and White House representatives.