The Empowerment Center is compassionately dedicated to helping women who suffer from substance abuse to restore their dignity and quality of life. Our nonprofit organization empowers women to build a better future through treatment and workforce development in a safe living environment. We believe in the power of recovery to change outlooks, lives and ultimately our community.
The vision of The Empowerment Center is to provide an understanding, peaceful, supportive, and healthy environment where women can safely build a strong, solid foundation for lifelong sobriety. Our shared passion is watching lives transform; seeing our residents regain their health and join in the joy of sober living.
The Empowerment Center is rooted in the generosity of our community. Our journey began in 2005, with the purpose of providing an independent 12-step recovery program for women struggling with Substance Use Disorder. In 2010, we purchased our first facility at 7400 S. Virginia Street. Over 18 months, we renovated an old motel where drug and alcohol use was the norm to create a clean and sober living environment. We added solar panels in 2013 and paid off the $1.3 million acquisition and renovation project in 2014.
From the start, we saw a significant need in our community for a women-focused treatment program. Our earliest programs filled this gap by providing transitional housing with a 12-Step model. Over time, we saw the need to add counseling and other mental health support to address co-occurring disorders. Today, our signature 5-month program provides wrap around services to help women with Substance Use Disorder transform their lives. We offer 36 beds and partner with local organizations, businesses, community members, and law enforcement agencies to create an intensive treatment program with safe and sober housing and in-house and external support services.
In 2018, we recognized that the affordable housing shortage was preventing clients who graduated from The Empowerment Center and other Northern Nevada treatment programs from taking the essential next step: transitioning into long-term, safe and sober housing. Our solution is Marvel Way: an affordable, permanent sober living apartment complex with supportive services available on site. We purchased three acres of land in 2019 and completed construction in 2022. Today, we provide 42 sober living units – A Nevada First!
At The Empowerment Center and Marvel Way, we’re continuing to look for new ways to support our community and provide more opportunities for individuals in early recovery to build their best futures.
In July 2023, we broke ground on Marvel Way Phase II. Our second phase of construction will include 46 additional sober living apartments, an on-site medical clinic, improved outdoor communal spaces, and more!
In August 2023, we received $12.5 million in funding towards the construction of a new Empowerment Center treatment facility. Located across the street from our Marvel Way Complex, the new Empowerment Center will expand our treatment programs by allowing us to treat more clients and amplify the services we offer. As a part of the expansion, we’re excited to improve our program by increasing our capacity to 80 beds, providing a higher level of mental health care, and offering space for non-medical detox.
We invite you to join us in transforming our recovery community. Your generous support will directly contribute to the construction and operation of the new TEC II housing and treatment facility, impacting the lives of countless women and their families. Together, we can build a future where every woman has the opportunity to recover, thrive, and lead a fulfilling life.
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