NORFOLK, Va. — One year after opening its doors, a Norfolk recovery center is seeing overwhelming demand as it works to support individuals battling addiction and mental health challenges.
Avenues Recovery Center, located in Ocean View, opened in June 2024 with a single client. Now, it treats nearly 70 people at a time and has helped more than 300 individuals complete its residential treatment program.
Executive Director Kelly Craven said the center’s growth reflects a deep need in the community—and across Virginia—for comprehensive addiction treatment.
“There’s a great need,” Craven said. “We even see it when we’re trying to find discharge plans for step-down programs—housing is a huge barrier, and there are simply not enough resources. That’s why we do what we do.”
The center treats people with substance use disorder as well as co-occurring mental health conditions.
“We really believe addiction is a chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease—and we genuinely don’t give up on any of our clients,” Craven said. “You might have some other things holding you back from success. We’re here to help you overcome them.”
The program’s success stories are already stacking up.
One alum recently celebrated a full year of sobriety and was hired by the center as a behavioral health technician. Another, who completed the program with nearly 300 days of sobriety, now works at another treatment center and returned to celebrate Avenues’ one-year anniversary.
The center currently serves clients from across Virginia, including the Hampton Roads region, Richmond, and Northern Virginia.
Therapist Crystal Rodgers, who joined the center 10 months ago, said the focus is on treating the whole person, not just the addiction.
“Addiction thrives in silence, and conversely, recovery thrives in connection,” Rodgers said. “Seeing clients begin to hope and dream again—that’s what makes it worth it.”
Rodgers said that when people walk through the doors of Avenues, they’re often dealing with deep trauma, fractured relationships, and economic instability. Many lack housing or consistent access to medical care.
“We work with some fantastic organizations to provide that continuity of care so that when they leave here, they don’t have to worry about therapy, housing or medication,” Rodgers said. “But navigating that system alone is overwhelming—and that’s where we step in.”
The center provides connections to housing and outpatient services as part of its discharge planning.
Craven said one of the next goals is to expand into "step-down" care, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs.
“We want to be able to help people continue their recovery journey, even after they leave our doors,” she said.
Rodgers added that stigma remains one of the biggest barriers to care—and said more people need to hear that it’s OK to ask for help, whether it’s the first time or the fifth.
“It’s not a moral failing,” she said. “Addiction is a treatable disease. People recover every day.”
The center currently maintains contact with more than 180 alumni who continue to engage with the program through weekly meetings and support groups.
As the need for services continues to grow, Craven said the center remains focused on one thing: walking with people through healing, without judgment.
“We meet them where they are,” she said. “And we don’t let go.”
