GARFIELD PARK — Mayor Rahm Emanuel Friday celebrated the second anniversary of a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center, which plans to double in size this year.
Emanuel praised the success of the Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center, joking that when founder Bryan Cressey pitched him on the idea he thought the plan was for a Bed, Bath and Beyond store.
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"I never thought I would be back so fast," Emanuel said, praising the center that offers free opioid and alcohol behavioral addiction treatment services at 2942 W. Lake Street.
Emanuel said he was proud to support the center's "holistic approach" to drug addiction which he said more officials should recognize is "not a crime."
"What I love about Above and Beyond is that don't look at where you are, they look at where you are going," Emanuel said, to loud shouts of approval and applause.
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Since its opening, the center has served 160 graduates and has 300 clients. In addition, counselors have helped find permanent housing for 80 formerly homeless Chicagoans, officials said.
The center has expanded as the Opiod crisis has gripped the nation. In May, the Cook County Medical Examiner said a potent, new opioid called acrylfentanyl had already killed 44 people since the beginning of 2017.
That's up from seven deaths attributed to the drug in 2016.
