Sussex County's Harm Reduction & Stabilization Hub · Est. 2022

You deserve help.
This is that place.

Higher Ground Outreach is Sussex County's community stabilization hub — a day center where anyone struggling with addiction, homelessness, or life's hardest moments can walk through the door and be met with dignity, real resources, and people who care.

Get Help Today Support Our Mission
Need help? Call us 302-470-7497
1,025+
Unique Individuals Served Since 2022
100–150
Meals Served Daily
300
Showers Monthly
$260K+
In Donated Items & Clothing

What Higher Ground Means

Sussex County's stabilization hub — founded in love, respect, and dignity.

Higher Ground isn't just a name — it's a belief. That no matter where someone has been, they deserve the chance to rise. That every person who walks through our door is someone — not a statistic, not a case number, not a burden.

We serve as Sussex County's low-barrier community stabilization hub — delivering integrated harm reduction, peer recovery support, and wraparound social services under one roof. Operating within a trauma-informed, person-centered framework, we provide Naloxone distribution and training, HIV/STI prevention, mobile medical linkage, and evidence-based recovery programming. We reduce barriers to care by meeting individuals at every stage of their recovery journey.

Our mission is simple: no judgment. Real help. Lasting change.

✓ DHSS/DSAMH Certified Narcan Training Provider

For the person in crisis

You are safe here. Come as you are. We will not turn you away.

For families seeking help

We walk alongside your loved ones toward recovery with compassion and real resources.

For community partners

We collaborate with healthcare, housing, and social service organizations to connect our clients to what they need.

For donors & volunteers

Every meal, every shower, every kind word — your support makes this possible.

Harm Reduction

Meeting people where they are.

Higher Ground Outreach employs a comprehensive, trauma-informed harm reduction framework aligned with SAMHSA best practices. We recognize that stabilization and risk reduction are critical first steps in the continuum of care — and that every individual deserves access to life-saving services regardless of their readiness for treatment.

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Narcan Training & Distribution

DHSS/DSAMH certified Narcan training for clients, families, and community members. We equip people with the knowledge and tools to prevent overdose deaths.

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On-Site & Mobile Medical Services

Partnering with Beebe Healthcare and LaRed Health Center to bring medical care directly to our clients — removing barriers to treatment for those who need it most.

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HIV Testing & Education

Confidential on-site HIV testing and prevention education. We reduce stigma and connect clients to ongoing care and support services.

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Peer Support & Counseling

Lived experience matters. Our peer counselors are people in recovery who walk alongside clients with empathy, credibility, and real understanding.

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Stabilization & Basic Needs

Three meals a day, showers, clothing, and a safe place to be — because stability starts with having your basic needs met. No strings attached.

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Resource Navigation & Linkage

Transportation to appointments, connections to housing, treatment programs, and social services. We help people access the full system of care — not just our door.

"We don't wait for someone to be ready for recovery to show up for them. Harm reduction means we're here for every step — because every step toward safety is worth showing up for."

— Lou Hernandez, Director & Co-Founder

Need help right now?
Our door is open.

Our day center in Georgetown, Delaware is open to anyone who needs a safe place to be, access to resources, a meal, or someone to talk to. No appointment needed. No judgment. Just come.

📍 Georgetown, Sussex County, Delaware

302-470-7497
Call or text anytime
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri9am – 6pm
Saturday9am – 6pm
Sunday12pm – 6pm
WednesdayClosed

What We Offer

Evidence-Based Programs & Wraparound Services.

As Sussex County's harm reduction and stabilization hub, our evidence-based and trauma-informed programs address the whole person — addiction, co-occurring mental health needs, housing instability, and social determinants of health. All services are low-barrier, free, and delivered without judgment.

Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS)
Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
Pathways to Recovery (Structured Sobriety Support)
Evidence-Based Anger Management (EBAM)
Conflict Resolution & De-escalation Training
Therapeutic Communication Skills
Grief & Trauma-Informed Loss Support
Cognitive Coping Skills Development
Expressive Arts Therapy
HIV/STI Screening, Testing & Prevention Education
Opioid Overdose Prevention & Naloxone (Narcan) Training — DHSS/DSAMH Certified
Transportation & Care Coordination
Integrated On-Site Medical Services
Daily Nutritional Support (3 Meals)
Hygiene Access & Personal Care Services

Our Story

Lou Hernandez, Director and Co-Founder of Higher Ground Outreach
Director & Co-Founder
Lou Hernandez
"I knew I had to do something to break the cycle — and eventually realized I didn't just need to maintain my own recovery. I needed to help others recover too."

Lou began his recovery journey in 1992 after growing up in New Jersey in a family shaped by generational addiction. In 2017, he took another step forward by giving up drinking as well.

After losing his father to the disease of addiction in 2018, Lou and his wife April — who holds a bachelor's degree in metaphysical sciences and a master's in divinity — decided to combine their lived experiences and her compassionate spirit into something greater.

In 2021, they started from the back of their car — driving into Sussex County tent cities and underserved areas, building real relationships with real people. Today, Higher Ground Outreach serves as a cornerstone of the Sussex County community.

Consistency is the intervention.
Showing up every day builds the trust that makes change possible.
Stability must come before transformation.
We meet basic needs first — because you can't heal when you're in survival mode.
Everyone deserves support without barriers.
No prerequisites. No judgment. Low-barrier means what it says.

Join the Mission

There are many ways to help.

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Volunteer

Share your time, skills, or presence. Whether you can cook a meal, lead a group, or just show up — we welcome you.

Call us to get started:
302-470-7497

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In-Kind Donations

We gratefully accept donations of clothing, hygiene products, household items, and non-perishable food.

Clothing Hygiene Items Non-perishable Food Household Goods Bedding Personal Care
Community Partners & Resources
Beebe Healthcare Food Bank of Delaware LaRed Centro de Salud AmeriHealth Caritas Grace & Love Community Outreach Feeding the Flock Brandywine Counseling Marigold Health DHSS / DSAMH Sussex County

Growing Together

Higher Ground Outreach is part of a growing family of community-centered organizations. A growing family of community-centered initiatives is expanding the Higher Ground model across Sussex County. Vincent House will provide structured transitional housing for up to 6 individuals launching in 2026. Rowan Moon Community Herbs — our Herbalists Without Borders chapter — is growing healing herbs and building community at the Verdant Grove Learning Center.

Vincent House · Launching 2026
Compass Project
Rowan Moon Community Herbs