The CDC found that substance use and overdose deaths increased during the pandemic. Additionally, the pandemic created obstacles for those living with addiction who wanted to seek treatment.
Finding a community while recovering from addiction is vital to the process. So, 4th Dimension Sobriety Inc.wants to provide that sense of community in Milwaukee.
4th Dimension operates a sober living facility in Riverwest. It’s one of the largest providers of sober living housing in Milwaukee County.
Jason Gonzalez, the founder and CEO of 4th Dimension Sobriety, shares more about building a sober living community and making recovery more visible.
"I'm in recovery myself, I got sober in 2008. And after probably five years of sobriety, I knew that there was something else that I should be doing, something more than it could be doing with the, you know, with the gift of sobriety that I was given," he says.
Gonzalez adds that community is an essential element when it come to sobriety. He says the sober living facility operates on a structured program, meaning that are rules and structures in place.
During the pandemic, Gonzalez admits that 4th Dimension had to stop everything that was community related, and people were separated into different houses.
Another challenge he points to has been the neighbors' acceptance of the housing facility — many are fearful and don't understand what's taking place.
Gonzalez theorizes that the neighbor's fears have to do with stigma. "A lot of us are almost forced to operate quietly, in fear of, you know, getting blowback from from neighbors. So, you know, with this new building, what we're going to do is come out of the dark and show what sobriety actually is and what it looks like. And try to get rid of sum of that stigma."
In the future, he says he hopes 4th Dimension can be a beacon and an economic driver in the community.
The sober living facility just started a campaign to raise $2 million to purchase the space they use now. Gonzalez says, "What I would like to do is, is really get out there in the community and just meet people and take them through the space of. If anybody out there wants to see 4th Dimension and experience what we're doing, let's walk through this space so I can show what what sobriety looks like."
