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Property aims to fortify addiction recovery
Cecilia Jones said she faced a "life-or-death" choice after a year in the Hoving Home, a treatment program in Garrison for women.
So, instead of striking out on her own, testing her fragile recovery before she felt ready, she moved into Hoving's long-term housing. She also began a 10-week training program with Unshattered, a Dutchess County nonprofit that teaches women to recycle military uniforms, leather from Southwest Airlines seats and other donated fabrics into handbags and accessories.
Jones, 53, is now the first trainee in a state certification program offered by Unshattered. She is also one of the first beneficiaries of a partnership between the organization and Hudson River Housing: a rented home that she shares with three other trainees across the street from Unshattered's headquarters in Wappingers Falls.
The home, offered to Unshattered by its owner and managed by Hudson River Housing, solved an enduring problem for women in recovery: finding affordable housing in a county where the average one-bedroom unit rented for $1,854 in 2024.
"The more affordable housing tends to be in places where there is higher access to substances," said Kelly Lyndgaard, the founder and CEO of Unshattered, which is planning a $10 million expansion.
Hudson River Housing and Unshattered had discussed joining forces, but two recent developments brought the idea to fruition, said Lyndgaard. In 2023, Unshattered moved to a 22,000-square-foot warehouse on Route 376 with plenty of room to expand. Then, in December, the owner of a rental property across from the warehouse offered to lease the house for trainees. Lyndgaard said the property owner has other local homes that may be available for Unshattered's women.
Jones said that, in addition to allowing the four women to unwind in the leafy neighborhood far from the chaos of the areas where they bought and used drugs, the house is a de facto support network for her sobriety.
Her addiction began in Wilmington, North Carolina, when she was 23 and pregnant with her daughter. She said a prescription for painkillers unleashed a decades-long cycle of recovery and relapses in which she craved "anything I could get my hands on." Its casualties included her 25-year marriage. "My husband said he couldn't do the addiction anymore, and he walked out," said Jones. "I just started floating around."
In December 2024, she left North Carolina for the Hoving Home, which provides a 12-month, Christian-based program. She finished the program a year later. "I had been isolated in this [Hoving] program for a year, and I was very scared about stepping back out in the real world," said Jones. "I needed a community to support me, and I thought this was the best choice."
After completing the 10 weeks of training with Unshattered, Jones enrolled in the organization's new 18-month apprenticeship program. Launched in September, it allows women to earn state certification in industrial sewing.
A grant from the Workforce Development Institute paid for sewing machines and other new equipment, said Lyndgaard. The certification "opens up even more job opportunities at a higher rate of pay," she said. "Just like if you were a plumber or an electrician, getting your certification in that field is really meaningful as you enter the job force beyond Unshattered."
Cecilia Jones said she faced a "life-or-death" choice after a year in the Hoving Home, a treatment program in Garrison for women.
So, instead of striking out on her own, testing her fragile recovery before she felt ready, she moved into Hoving's long-term housing. She also began a 10-week training program with Unshattered, a Dutchess County nonprofit that teaches women to recycle military uniforms, leather from Southwest Airlines seats and other donated fabrics into handbags and accessories.
Jones, 53, is now the first trainee in a state certification program offered by Unshattered. She is also one of the first beneficiaries of a partnership between the organization and Hudson River Housing: a rented home that she shares with three other trainees across the street from Unshattered's headquarters in Wappingers Falls.
The home, offered to Unshattered by its owner and managed by Hudson River Housing, solved an enduring problem for women in recovery: finding affordable housing in a county where the average one-bedroom unit rented for $1,854 in 2024.
"The more affordable housing tends to be in places where there is higher access to substances," said Kelly Lyndgaard, the founder and CEO of Unshattered, which is planning a $10 million expansion.
Hudson River Housing and Unshattered had discussed joining forces, but two recent developments brought the idea to fruition, said Lyndgaard. In 2023, Unshattered moved to a 22,000-square-foot warehouse on Route 376 with plenty of room to expand. Then, in December, the owner of a rental property across from the warehouse offered to lease the house for trainees. Lyndgaard said the property owner has other local homes that may be available for Unshattered's women.
Jones said that, in addition to allowing the four women to unwind in the leafy neighborhood far from the chaos of the areas where they bought and used drugs, the house is a de facto support network for her sobriety.
Her addiction began in Wilmington, North Carolina, when she was 23 and pregnant with her daughter. She said a prescription for painkillers unleashed a decades-long cycle of recovery and relapses in which she craved "anything I could get my hands on." Its casualties included her 25-year marriage. "My husband said he couldn't do the addiction anymore, and he walked out," said Jones. "I just started floating around."
In December 2024, she left North Carolina for the Hoving Home, which provides a 12-month, Christian-based program. She finished the program a year later. "I had been isolated in this [Hoving] program for a year, and I was very scared about stepping back out in the real world," said Jones. "I needed a community to support me, and I thought this was the best choice."
After completing the 10 weeks of training with Unshattered, Jones enrolled in the organization's new 18-month apprenticeship program. Launched in September, it allows women to earn state certification in industrial sewing.
A grant from the Workforce Development Institute paid for sewing machines and other new equipment, said Lyndgaard. The certification "opens up even more job opportunities at a higher rate of pay," she said. "Just like if you were a plumber or an electrician, getting your certification in that field is really meaningful as you enter the job force beyond Unshattered."