CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Until now, high school students in Hampton Roads with substance abuse problems had to make a choice: focus on their recovery or focus on their education.
However, a new type of school is combining those parallel paths. Harbor Hope Center is the first recovery school in our region and one of just a handful across the Commonwealth.
Roadmap to Recovery: Model for high school coming to Hampton Roads getting results for addicted teens
“I’m 14. I shouldn’t be an alcoholic at 14,” said Sam, a Harbor Hope freshman. WAVY is using only her first name. “Both of my parents were alcoholics, so I started at a very young age, and I was probably 11 when I started drinking heavily.”
“I got expelled from public school. I realized I need help. I’m not OK.” Sam enrolled at HHC earlier this year, one of just 10 students when WAVY visited in February…