SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Among the different resources available for addressing substance use disorder, Hope Not Handcuffs (HNH) is one that prioritizes treatment and deflection over serving prison time for those struggling with drug addiction. The River Reporter spoke with Daryn Bleach, program director of Hope Not Handcuffs’ New York chapter.

HNH is an initiative started by the Michigan-based Families Against Narcotics, a community organization looking to help individuals, families and communities suffering from drug addiction. In 2019, the initiative spread to the Hudson Valley with the assistance of the Tri-County Community Partnership; it first came to Sullivan County in 2021. 

Bleach explained that HNH offers a variety of services, including peer recovery, family coaching, a Quick Response Team (QRT), connecting participants to outpatient services and a 12-hour hotline.

“We all know that addiction affects the whole family,” Bleach told the River Reporter, adding that peer recovery and family recovery programs are both one-on-one services intended to provide support. 

Liberty Police Chief Steve D’Agata said during an August 6 Sullivan County Legislature meeting that 66 family members in the county had been provided support; nine people had enrolled in a peer recovery program; five people had enrolled in family coaching; and 43 people were in individual treatment.

The QRT, which went county-wide in November 2025, has gone on 402 visits, responding to nonfatal overdoses within 72 hours and offering services to those seeking help, according to Bleach. 

“The three most vulnerable populations of people that are the highest risk are people who have had repetitive nonfatal overdoses, people who are just getting released from jail and people who are getting out of long-term programs,” Bleach said, explaining who is most at risk of a fatal overdose. “What the quick response team does is tries to tackle all three of those high-risk groups.”

Those struggling can also walk into any county police department and receive help from a volunteer. The volunteer will help fill out paperwork while someone on the Hope hotline will connect them with treatment, Bleach added. The hotline can also be called at 833/428-4673 without walking into a police department. 

Since Sullivan County does not yet have a 28-day inpatient program, participants are enrolled into programs in Ulster and Orange counties. Transportation can also be provided, Bleach said. 

Funding is a challenge for the QRT. District attorney Brian Conaty said during the legislative meeting that unless the program receives funding through opioid abatement settlement, it will “be forced to cease operations.”

D’Agata explained that the QRT has requested $124,000 for this upcoming year. Hope Not Handcuffs has filed a request for a million-dollar grant spread out over three years from the federal Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program (COSSUP). 

If COSSUP provides the grant by October 1, the QRT will not need the abatement funding, D’Agata said.

Though funding is a challenge, Bleach expressed a desire to help as many as she can. 

“The community knows that they can rely on us,” she said. “We won’t give up on the people we serve.”