Omar is a former resident of The Retreat at Hampshire Woods, CHD’s respite program in South Hadley, which provides a nontraditional, innovative, and individualized support network for people who need to re-energize in a healing therapeutic space and work through behavioral health issues.

The program provides peer-led support, wellness and mindfulness activities, individual and group therapy, and trauma-informed care.

Prior to staying at The Retreat, Omar recalled having nowhere to live after getting thrown out of his Springfield apartment by his landlord in retaliation for calling the city Code Enforcement Department about sanitary violations. “I was in very bad shape—very depressed and beyond angry because I was trying to do the right thing,” said Omar, who has a range of mental health challenges, including PTSD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and anxiety. He was referred to the Retreat by CHD’s Gateway Community Behavioral Health Center in Chicopee.

Now things are looking up for Omar: he has an apartment in Southampton, and he is going back to school to finish coursework for two bachelor’s degrees—in English and Psychology. He had begun college at UMass Boston and is transferring to UMass Amherst. As an English major, he loved participating in the creative writing group at The Retreat at Hampshire Woods, but he also enjoyed the art group there. He looked at a folded note that was a going-away present from Peer Specialist Aurora Curtis-Hill, on which she wrote, “Dear Omar, You have been such a joy to write with. Here are some writing prompts to take away with you. I wish I could read where they take you. Enjoy.”

On his last day at the retreat, Omar was a far cry from when he first entered, which was a time when “I struggled just to exist,” he said. “I loved it here. There is such a relaxed energy. I slowly started getting better. The people here are really wonderful—every staff member has been just amazing to me. I could have gone to a shelter, but this place was perfect.”