Martha’s Vineyard Hospital will not renew the lease for the Red House when it ends next spring, leaving the Island’s only peer recovery center searching for a new home.

Robert Cropper, the director of recovery management services at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), said this week that the Red House will have until March 1, 2026 to stay at its building in Oak Bluffs. As the hunt for a new location begins, he made it clear that the center’s doors will remain open and their services will continue in the same capacity until then.

“We’re incredibly optimistic...” Mr. Cropper emphasized. “We’re going to be able to move from one [space] to another.” 

Named for its crimson walls, the Red House is located just a brief walk away from the hospital’s main entrance at 12 Beach street. The hospital leased the property to MVCS, which hosts all the center’s services, as part of a 10-year contract. 

From left to right, David Ferguson, John Tau, Robert Cropper and Shane Coutinho.

Ray Ewing

From left to right, David Ferguson, John Tau, Robert Cropper and Shane Coutinho.

Ray Ewing

The center provides help for people struggling with addictions, both substance and behavioral. Mr. Cropper estimated the organization hosts about 200 people each week who come to feel less isolated on what is often a long and difficult journey toward sobriety. 

The Red House holds a variety of programs each day including recovery coaching, where a mentor assists someone struggling to create a wellness plan and motivates them to meet their goals. It also has a variety of anonymous groups and workshops that help people reconnect with their passions and discover new ones.

Denise Schepici, the hospital’s president and chief operating officer, said the decision was difficult but necessary. In the next couple of months, the hospital will undergo a multi-year renovation project to replace many of its buildings.

“Given that [the house] is smack in the middle of the hospital campus and with all this renovation that we’re about to undergo, I couldn’t responsibly for the future renew another 10-year lease,” Ms. Schepici said. 

She emphasized how the hospital has certain regulatory requirements that need to be met while construction ensues. Temporarily, she said the hospital plans to use the house to host some of the departments displaced by construction. 

The hospital is still determining how it will utilize the Red House building long-term, although Ms. Schepici said it will likely support the hospital’s clinical services. With the amount of people on the Island increasing and the senior population growing, Ms. Schepici said there’s a demand for more primary and specialty care services the hospital has to meet.

“I knew I’d get some backlash about it, but this is really necessary for us to move forward with this plan,” Ms. Schepici said.

Abigail Foley, the chief clinical officer at MVCS, said the hospital gave them plenty of notice and the Red House is not scrambling to find anything at the present moment, though they are looking for a new home. She added that the relationship between the hospital and the peer recovery center is still intact.

“We work very closely with the substance use disorder team at the hospital, and that absolutely will not change,” Ms. Foley said.

The Red House is all about new beginnings and that’s how the people who work there said they’re taking the news. Mr. Cropper said that since the Red House opened it’s doors after Covid-19, they recognized a need for more space. 

The current house is predominantly one large room with a small front office and a kitchen toward the side. Mr. Cropper said there aren’t many private spaces in the house for those seeking confidential support, and with the Island’s population growing, they need more square footage.

The Red House's lease will end next year.

Ray Ewing

The Red House's lease will end next year.

Ray Ewing

“We have one group that meets [at the Red House] and it’s a beginner’s meeting which is incredibly popular on the Island,” Mr. Cropper said. “We actually have to almost close our doors... because we have an occupancy problem.”

Based on averages determined by the Dukes County Health Council, Mr. Cropper estimated close to 1,500 people on the Vineyard are suffering from substance abuse disorders. He said not all those people seek services, but part of the Red House’s mission is to encourage them to.

Shane Coutinho, the center’s program director, said if a larger space is found he’d be thrilled to have more room for activities, such as guitar lessons, breath meditation and yoga classes.

“To have the opportunity to gain [a larger] facility — to have more offerings, attract more new members, old members or current members — [is] an opportunity of a lifetime,” Mr. Coutinho said.

But it can’t just be any space, Mr. Cropper stressed. 

People often walk from the hospital’s emergency department to the Red House to get the help they need. While the center knows it won’t be able to have this same convenience from a new location that’s further away, Mr. Cropper said the Red House is determined to find somewhere accessible by public transportation.

The center pays $1 a month for its current space and finding affordable options to relocate could be difficult. Ms. Foley said the center is fully funded by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, and there are plans for a future community fundraiser.

John Tau, a recovery coach and volunteer coordinator at the Red House, said the center helped him get sober before he started working there. He has seen first-hand how the center offers vital support.

One story stands-out in his mind, about an unhoused person who volunteered to cook lunches for the Red House multiple times a week for over a year. Mr. Tau said the man discovered his passion for cooking and landed a job in the kitchen at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

“The only obstacle for him to get this job was to find a place for him to live,” Mr. Tau said. “That’s what we helped him do.”

The center connected him with a transitioning home off-Island, and he was able to move-in and take the job. 

Mr. Coutinho said this is just one of many examples of how the center has helped rehabilitate people since its founding five years ago. He hopes the Island community will help them find a new place to continue their work.

“I really believe that the Islanders here on Martha’s Vineyard can make that happen for us, or at least point us in the right direction to ensure the Island community will always have the Red House,” Mr. Coutinho said.