BUFFALO, N.Y. — Creative Restorations Inc. is the first and only Western New York non-profit that is fully founded and operated by peer recovery coaches who lived through experiences like addiction.
The non-profit uses harm reduction initiatives in an effort to get more people the help they need.
While substance abuse can come with a stigma, the agency said it's hoping to educate the community to break that stigma
"Being able to meet a person where they are both literally and figuratively, it really helps the individual on their changed process because they can see that we care," said Chris Harzynski, Founder of Creative Restorations Inc.
A recent survey from the Rand Corporation found that more than 40% of American adults know someone who died of an overdose and close to a third say that death disrupted their lives.