{"id":46727,"date":"2023-09-05T15:57:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T19:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=46727"},"modified":"2023-09-05T15:57:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T19:57:17","slug":"orleans-county-gcasas-women-and-childrens-residence-in-albion-fills-much-needed-gap-in-substance-use-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2023\/09\/05\/orleans-county-gcasas-women-and-childrens-residence-in-albion-fills-much-needed-gap-in-substance-use-services\/","title":{"rendered":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/GCASA\u2019s women and children\u2019s residence in Albion fills much-needed gap in substance use services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Mike Pettinella
GCASA Publicist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing a safe and secure place to live for women battling substance use disorder, including those with children, is yet another vital phase of the mission of Genesee\/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to offer a wide spectrum of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project is only one of maybe three similar facilities west of Syracuse,\u201d said GCASA Chief Executive Officer John Bennett, speaking of the agency\u2019s 25-bed women and children\u2019s residence that will be located on Butts Road in Albion. \u201cWe will serve Genesee and Orleans counties, primarily, and also the Western and Finger Lakes regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the wooded nine-acre lot just outside of the Albion village limits is being cleared to make way for the construction of the building frame and roof this fall, Bennett said. The home \u2013 which will take on a woodsy look of green siding and black window trim — is expected to open around October of next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce open, it will include an early childhood learning center, walking paths in the woods, a large playground, a small workout area for residents, an area for arts and crafts, and more,\u201d he offered. \u201cWe continue to find ways to break down barriers for individuals to enter and remain in treatment services. We currently offer extra services such as our drop-in daycare, transportation, case management, recovery services, and a 24\/7 peer hotline, as well as our core services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GCASA has expanded its programs exponentially under Bennett\u2019s guidance, with its workforce tripling in size over the past 15 years. The women\u2019s and children\u2019s residential facility in Albion fills a great need in substance use treatment, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince 2015, we have seen a significant increase in our female (client) population,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cIt used to be 75 percent men and 25 percent women. Now, with opioids \u2013 pills \u2013 becoming more popular among women, the need in the community to serve women has multiplied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the barriers for women entering a residential program is, \u2018Who will care for their children?\u2019 In our program, women will be able to have their children (under school age) with them while in care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bennett said the Albion location will provide services to women 18 and older during their recovery, with five of the 25 units set up to accommodate women with children younger than kindergarten age. Up to two children can live in those units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GCASA will operate the facility, with staffing at all hours, seven days a week, Bennett said. A grant from the New York State Department of Health has covered $4.6 million of the $5.2-million cost of construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe looked at buying the Cloverhill Adult Home building in the village but it really wasn\u2019t set up appropriately for the project. It would have taken much to convert and to rehab it,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we did purchase the property on Butts Road, the Town of Albion was incredibly welcoming. It\u2019s near to the village but provides privacy for the residents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to questions from citizens in the area, Bennett said that only a small part of the land is designated as wetlands and that area will be left untouched, and that GCASA will put in plantings along the driveway upon completion to provide privacy for those living along Butts Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGCASA always strives to be a good neighbor,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of our buildings are well-kept.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency is working with the firm of Fontanese Folts Aubrecht Ernst Architects, P.C., of Orchard Park, the same company that has contributed design expertise for seven other GCASA projects. Whitney East, Inc., based in Le Roy and Rochester, is the general contractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bennett said that once operational, the women and children\u2019s residence will enable GCASA to make the Atwater Community Residence in Batavia a \u201cmale-only\u201d facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen this is done, we\u2019ll have significantly expanded our bed capacity for all — providing stabilization, rehabilitation and re-entry into the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mike PettinellaGCASA Publicist Providing a safe and secure place to live for women battling substance use disorder, including those with children, is yet another vital phase of the mission of Genesee\/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to offer a wide spectrum of care. \u201cThis project is only one \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[128,6],"tags":[2481,3924],"class_list":["post-46727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albion","category-orleans-county","tag-gcasa","tag-women-and-childrens-residence"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-c9F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67050,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/orleans-county-uconnectcare-women-childrens-residence-hoping-to-open-in-september-in-albion\/","url_meta":{"origin":46727,"position":0},"title":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/UConnectCare Women & Children’s Residence hoping to open in September in Albion","author":"aka","date":"August 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The new residence will serve women and their children (5 and under) needing support for substance use disorder and behavioral health care in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties UConnectCare CEO Kathleen Hodgins provided tours of the brand new Women & Children's Residence, located at 3597 Butts Road in Albion, NY\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Albion"","block_context":{"text":"Albion","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/albion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250813_173326-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250813_173326-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250813_173326-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C505&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250813_173326-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C505&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250813_173326-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C505&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32787,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2022\/05\/24\/genesee-orleans-counties-gcasa-recognizes-board-staff-scholars-friends\/","url_meta":{"origin":46727,"position":1},"title":"GENESEE\/ORLEANS COUNTIES\/GCASA recognizes board, staff, scholars, friends","author":"aka","date":"May 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Mike PettinellaGCASA Publicist Understanding the importance of enlisting all segments of the community to fight the scourge of substance use disorder, Genesee\/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse leaders on Monday afternoon recognized its board of directors, staff, scholarship recipients and \u201cfriends\u201d at the nonprofit agency\u2019s annual meeting. 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