SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A new interactive wellness center has opened up in Syracuse — aiming to offer community members a safe space for managing stress and prioritizing their mental health.
It’s only been six months since Quinnika Richardson opened the doors to Dre’s Safe Place — on E Molloy and Thompson Road.
Although created to be a safe haven for the community members around her, it’s also become her refuge, and the place where her son’s legacy lives on.
“After losing Drequan to an unintentional drug overdose in 2015,” said Richardson. “I sought help through Hope for Bereaved as a support system. I also, as a psych nurse, worked with several families who dealt with grief, who dealt with mental health issues, and substance use issues.”
Her motivation is to be the support she needed for others. Her son, Drequan or “Dre”, died at the age of 20.
One of literally millions in this country over the past decade who died after using a drug laced with fentanyl.
In 2023, Onondaga County reported 155 fatal opioid drug overdoses. Nearly all those deaths involved fentanyl.
Dre’s Safe Place takes an unconventional approach to prevention and healing.
Its focus is overcoming any mental challenges people may face as they navigate each day.
“People needed a place to scream,” said Richardson. “People needed a place to release. People needed a community to nurture and support and understand them and not judge them. People needed to practice self care because they were so worried about everything else in their families.”
The space features five interactive rooms.
A sound proof “scream room” – with access to a virtual reality-guided meditation, a release room filled with punching bags, a breakthrough room, as well as the affirmation room and relaxation room.
All exclusive to anyone who walks in.
“This space—especially for our community—breaks the stigma,” said Richardson. “It says it’s okay to not be okay. It’s a space where okay I’m good but let me nourish myself so I can be prepared for when I’m not good. Let me come in here and get a minute to relax. Let me release what I’m holding so I can be okay to move forward.”
Healing is the lasting impact she hopes to have.
The wellness center also hosts monthly workshops for all age groups.
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