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Inside Philly's new Riverview Wellness Village for those battling addiction
Mayor Cherelle Parker and the City of Philadelphia have announced the opening of the Riverview Wellness Village, a care and recovery housing property created to help those who are coming out of inpatient substance-use disorder treatment.
PHILADELPHIA - Mayor Cherelle Parker and the city of Philadelphia have officially opened Riverview Wellness Village, a care and recovery housing center that aims to tackle a critical gap in Philadelphia’s wellness ecosystem.
The new housing project that will help people battling addiction opened up in northeast Philadelphia Wednesday.
The Riverview Wellness Village, located in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia, has more than 300 beds for people coming out of inpatient treatment programs.
It sounds more like a resort spa or a new upscale retirement community and in its own way, it will be both to those it serves successfully. That includes those who choose to go from life on the streets into drug and mental health treatment centers, and then to Riverview.
They will learn how to retire from the hard life on the street and learn how to get their lives back, get jobs, and eventually find permanent homes.
"For folks coming out of their treatment programs and into this recovery setting, there is a vetting process that's done by our very own qualified providers that are experts in this, and that's already underway. We'll start accepting patients here real soon," said Adam Thiel, Philadelphia's Managing Director.
"This here is about prevention, intervention, and even enforcement. But this is also about putting people on a path to self-sufficiency," said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.
According to the city, here is a list of key features within the wellness center:
- Recovery-Based Housing: There are 340 beds across six residential cottages and a central Meeting House, providing a safe and stable environment for individuals in recovery.
- Comprehensive Onsite Services: Primary healthcare, connections to substance use disorder services, chronic disease management, nutritional counseling, and mental and behavioral health support delivered in collaboration with partners like the Black Doctors Consortium and Merakey.
- Life-Skills and Workforce Development: Culinary training, art therapy, community gardening, and employment support programs to help residents prepare for independent living.
- Community Integration Spaces: Recreational areas, fitness facilities, and opportunities for peer engagement and social support.
- All residents of Riverview will be in recovery. The people living there will be those who are making the commitment to seize the opportunity to transform their lives.
"From the moment I was sworn in as Philadelphia’s 100th Mayor almost exactly a year ago, I committed to addressing the complex and interconnected challenges facing our communities, with public safety at the top of the list," said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "With today’s opening of the Riverview Wellness Village, we are delivering on our promise to take bold, decisive action. This beautiful property is not merely housing— Riverview represents hope, healing, and a new era of collaboration and care in Philadelphia. It is the one of many phases as we build out our Wellness Ecosystem Initiative."
All residents of Riverview will be in recovery.
This is just phase one. It will take two more years of construction to finish the $100 million, 19-acre project off State Road.
The Capital Program Office is currently designing a new 95,000-square-foot multi-story facility that will include even more amenities, such as sports and recreational fields, an orchard and a community garden.
Phase three of Riverview Wellness Village will include a new building that will support expanded capacity for the facility.