TROSA has helped thousands rebuild their lives after addiction. Now, it’s expanding.
A residential treatment center for people fighting addiction will increase the number of people it can help by building a new dormitory on its Durham campus.
The nonprofit Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers (TROSA) offers people residency with treatment and job training. The program began in 1994 when the Durham County commissioners voted unanimously to lease the Old North Durham Elementary School to the organization for $1 per year.
On Monday night, the Durham City Council unanimously approved permits for the expansion of the main TROSA campus in the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood Neighborhood. A new, two-story dormitory will add approximately 17,480 square feet on the existing 13-acre campus, located on 1718 and 1820 James Street.
The median length of stay for male and female residents in the program is roughly 400 days. The new dorm will expand TROSA’s capacity from 275 to 450.
Former Durham Mayors Bill Bell and Nick Tennyson supported the project during Monday’s public hearing.
Tuscaloosa-Lakewood Association President Grant Gardner, speaking for the neighborhood, also backed the expansion.
“For nearly 25 years, TROSA has operated in our neighborhood and has increased in size and residents,” he said. “As TROSA has grown and improved its main campus, they have been responsive to the needs and perceptions of their neighbors and our residential community by providing information, seeking consensus and operating as thoughtful stewards of the land they own.”
NC drug overdose deaths
The planned expansion comes as North Carolina reported Monday that the number of drug overdose deaths — from illicit substances and medications — rose by nearly 1,000 deaths, from 2,352 in 2019 to 3,304 in 2020.
An average of nine North Carolinians died from an overdose each day in 2020, a 40% increase from the previous year, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2020-21, TROSA served a total of 754 residents and had 152 people complete its two-year program. According to an annual report, 96% maintained recovery and obtained full-time work upon graduation.
Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton congratulated the agency after Monday’s unanimous votes.
“TROSA’S actually building lives,” said Middleton. “I appreciate the impact this organization has had. ... We often look at our buildings, but the real building blocks of our city are people’s lives and I just want to congratulate TROSA on this expansion.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 3:15 PM.