The Catchers Mitt opened in March of 2023, thanks to a generous community partnership grant from Baycare Health Systems. Working off of the theory that peer support could be utilized to provide a low barrier access to care for substance use disorder sufferers who do not meet the medical criteria for help through emergency services, and do not have the means to check themselves into a private facility, the Catchers Mitt was born as a way to reduce the burden addictions have on first responders and the Emergency Rooms. It has since become so much more than that.
From our 18 bed duplex we have discovered that peer respite and short term housing solutions provides a lifeline for the recovery community that has had recognizable impacts on the communities we operate in.
Since opening, the Catchers Mitt has seen over 1,000 participants, of which 95% have been successfully stabilized, with 75% of our total getting connected to long term recovery support services through a treatment center or recovery residence.
These metrics have greatly reduced the suffering of our participants, reduced number of days homeless in our community, and is estimated to have reduced the number of overdose deaths.
This wildly successful program is now becoming available in other communities throughout the Tampa Bay region.
The Outfield opened in February of 2025, through Pasco Opioid Abatement Year 2 funding, as the Pasco branch of Recovery Epicenter Foundation’s Peer Respite Program. Building on the success of Pinellas’ Catchers Mitt, The Outfield offers short term, non-clinical peer respite: safe, homelike space for individuals experiencing early recovery, relapse and or seeking recovery support services. The Outfield is staffed entirely by peer specialists, who provide support, encouragement and linkage to community resources. Participants include those not fitting traditional medical care, those needing a buffer before re-entering sober living or anyone seeking recovery services.
Bay News 9 features the grand opening of Recovery Epicenter’s new Outfield Center in New Port Richey—a major step in expanding support services and building a recovery-ready community.
