Danielle Bruschi is the Co-Founder and CEO of New Hope Rising. She co-founded the organization in 2014 to provide safe, supportive and structured recovery housing on Long Island. Under Danielle’s guidance and with her vision, New Hope Rising has become the premier, leading model for recovery housing on Long Island, offering a higher level of individualized care and supportive services. Danielle continues to advocate for greater access to safe and supportive housing for women and men with substance use disorders. While “sober homes” are not currently regulated in the State of NY, she has been actively involved in the process of creating standards for recovery housing in Suffolk County through the Suffolk County Sober Home Oversight Board and National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR).

Through her management and progressive efforts, Danielle grew the organization into a multifaceted community resource, expanding the agency’s services in June 2017 to include New Hope Rising’s Therapy and Wellness Center with the focus on ensuring behavioral health care services are accessible and affordable on the East End of Long Island. Since the very beginning, Danielle’s vision for the organization has been to increase access to quality care for all who call Long Island home. That vision is fulfilled in New Hope Rising’s comprehensive approach to strengthening communities and ensuring behavioral health care services and recovery housing are available to those in need.

Prior to co-founding New Hope Rising, Danielle worked at the largest single men’s homeless shelter in Suffolk County providing case management services and linkages to permanent housing. She quickly realized that a high percentage of the shelter residents had a history of substance use disorders and how it contributed to their chronic homelessness. While attempting to refer her clients to recovery housing she found a severe shortage of safe, supportive options on Long Island. In her search for community resources, Danielle found that there was an even more significant shortage of safe recovery housing options for women, and she began planning for the creation of New Hope Rising’s first recovery housing program for women.

Danielle’s struggle with substance use began at the early age of 12. After being in and out of institutions throughout her youth, she first discovered recovery as a teenager. It was her dream and passion to create a safe haven where all services were provided under one roof. This idea, based on the love and compassion that she found in recovery, led to the formation of New Hope Rising. Today she is a person in long-term recovery who has dedicated her life to helping others to recover and find the light that was lost in the darkness of addiction and breaking down barriers to access care that they need.

Lauren is a Master of Social Work with a degree earned from Boston University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Stony Brook University with a concentration in women’s studies and sociology.  Ms. McNamara has been working in the social service field for the past 10 years in a multitude of different arenas and has experience with alternative healing methods as well, and is a Reiki II practitioner. She is also an NYS Department of Labor Offender Employment Specialist.

Jessica earned her Bachelors in Psychology from SUNY Albany, her CASAC-T from Suffolk Community College, and is currently enrolled in Stony Brook University working towards her Masters in Social Work. Jessica is dedicated to serving those struggling with addiction is currently employed at the Long Island Center for Recovery. In addition, Jessica has experience with directly working with New Hope Rising residents and her passion for our mission has led her to joining the team in a different capacity.

Jessica also has personal experience with addiction and struggled many years to find recovery. She started using at the age of 13, went in and out of institutions and sober living environments, and eventually found recovery at 25. Her lived experience with the depravities of addiction, and also the lack of services available, fuels her passion to make a difference in the community.

Charlene has been working in the field of addiction treatment and social work for the past 16 years. In addition to her CASAC certification she is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is currently the Program Director at Long Island Center For Recovery after a long career there as a counselor and clinical supervisor. She is also in private practice as a psychotherapist. Charlene has been part of New Hope Rising since the very conception and remains passionate about ensuring our mission and vision is carried forward.