Fayetteville is putting more than $100,000 into the nonprofits that handle addiction treatment and recovery support in Cumberland County, North Carolina, where overdose rates still run higher than the state average.
Where the Money Is Going
Myrover-Reese Recovery Homes, a nonprofit that has supported people in recovery for decades, is among the recipients. The organization runs a recovery home off Interstate 95 with 24 staff members and 18 residents.
Executive Director Ivan Pride said the funding supports staff and peer support specialists, transportation to necessary appointments, and facility utilities.
The program provides residential services along with recovery support in the form of case management, connecting residents to benefits, health care, and mental health services.
Pride, a Fayetteville native, said the work is personal because addiction has affected members of his own family.
He pushed back on the idea that substance use is a simple choice, saying recovery from a substance use disorder is harder than the public tends to assume.
The award is part of a larger package of more than $1 million that the city is directing to nonprofit programs serving residents.
What the Overdose Numbers Show in North Carolina
The North Carolina Division of Public Health estimated that eight people a day were suspected to have died from a drug overdose statewide in 2025.
Cumberland County lost 134 people to overdose in 2024, roughly one death every two to three days.
There are signs of movement. Data from the Cumberland-Fayetteville Opioid Response Team, known as C-FORT, showed opioid overdose emergency department visits dropped about 60% in May, falling from 70 the previous year to 28 this year. Fentanyl-related deaths in April were unchanged from the same month a year earlier.
Xylazine Is Changing the Local Drug Supply
Greg Berry, the C-FORT project coordinator, said that while fentanyl dominates the headlines, xylazine is also driving harm locally.
He described people developing wounds as a result of xylazine in the drug supply, with those wounds leading to serious health complications.
Xylazine is a veterinary sedative and is not an opioid. Naloxone does not reverse its effects, which makes an overdose involving xylazine mixed with fentanyl harder to treat. Naloxone should still be given, because fentanyl is usually present as well.
Signs of Opioid Addiction to Watch For
Opioids include fentanyl, heroin, and prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid many times more potent than morphine, and it now appears in much of the illicit supply whether or not a person is seeking it.
Common signs of opioid addiction include taking more than intended or for longer than planned, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back, strong cravings, and withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating, chills, and muscle aches when use stops.
Pulling away from work, school, or family is another frequent marker. Signs that may point to xylazine exposure include heavy sedation that outlasts a naloxone dose and open skin wounds that are slow to heal.
Finding Addiction Treatment in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Berry, who described starting to use drugs around age 11, said peer support remains one of the most effective tools in recovery.
He said peer specialists become a model of hope, showing others that if one person did it, they might be able to as well.
The C-FORT Recovery Resource Center connects residents with certified peer support specialists at 910-321-6487.
It also offers free SMART Recovery groups on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, free naloxone, scheduled office hours with local treatment providers, and classes covering naloxone training and wound care.
Next steps for anyone searching locally:
- Search addiction treatment centers in North Carolina by city and level of care
- Ask providers directly whether they accept Medicaid or offer sliding-scale fees
- Pick up free naloxone through C-FORT or North Carolina Harm Reduction
- Call the SAMHSA National Helpline, free and confidential, at 1-800-662-4357
Addictions.com lists verified treatment centers across North Carolina, searchable by city, substance, and level of care. Call
800-681-1058
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