The Family at Ivy House

Paul Shelton, Ivy House’s Site Supervisor

The small, close-knit environment of Cazenovia Recovery Systems’ Ivy House provides residents with a family-like setting that supports their recovery.

Cazenovia Recovery assumed operation of two community residences – Ivy House and Casa Di Vita – and a Supportive Living Program from another agency in 2014, bringing its stability and proven experience to these programs.

Ivy House, on Buffalo’s East Side, serves 17 men in recovery. Paul Shelton, Site Supervisor, stresses the facility’s commitment to provide “quality care while assisting residents reintroduce basic daily living skills into their lives.”

Kevin Patterson, Ivy House’s Facility Assistant

Kevin Patterson, Facility Assistant, is there to help residents make such adjustments.He believes that the house’s size leads to formation of “a common bond” shared by residents and staff, whose joint efforts “promote recovery as a goal.”

As residents work through their recovery plans, Paul keeps the focus on what is expected of them in the process. “It’s all about accepting responsibility for themselves and their recovery,” he said. Paul explains how the “balanced structure” of the program helps residents learn how to apply Ivy House experiences to their benefit as they move along the road to recovery. Kevin points out that the professional staff’s desire is to see each resident achieve “lasting longevity of recovery.”

Tim hopes to become a personal trainer

Tim and Peter have been Ivy House residents for two months. Each plans to move on to Cazenovia Recovery’s Supportive Living program as the next step.

Tim finds that eating healthy and exercising are “positive distractions” for him. He’s considering going back to school to become a certified personal trainer and dietician or reentering the workforce. He says that the most important part of his recovery to date is “learning how to be open while remembering where I was.”

Peter is planning on attending barber school

Peter hopes to go to school to become a barber. He says that collecting key tags that mark milestones in his recovery help keep him focused. He appreciates attending various group meetings and that transportation is made available to do so. Tim and Peter like the structured environment. “We all take recovery very seriously, but we can joke about it, too,” Tim said. “Having some fun in recovery is very important.”

Later this year, Ivy House residents and program operations will transition to Cazenovia Recovery’s new community residence – Unity House on Sycamore Street.