Plans for an addictions treatment and recovery facility in downtown Columbus for pregnant women and women with children have been approved.
The Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday unanimously voted to grant a conditional use request from the Volunteers of America of Indiana for the proposed facility at 703 Washington St., originally a Columbus post office and more recently the LHP Guest House.
The Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization plans to use the 22,500-square-foot building as an in-residence addiction treatment facility, said Jon von Arx, the organization’s president and CEO, who appeared before the BZA.
The facility would include 17 bedrooms with the ability to house up to 23 women, an application said. It would be staffed by at least two people at all times with as many as 10 staff members during the day, according to the proposal. It would also include kitchen and laundry room space, in addition to common living and meeting room areas, according to the application.
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Pregnant women who are admitted into the program known as the Fresh Start Recovery Center are allowed to have up two children age 5 or younger live with them during their treatment, a two-phase approach.
The first phase involves residential treatment for up to four months that involves four hours of treatment daily, pre- and post-natal support, drug screens, case management and other assistance.
The second phase involves home-based family coaching services for up to a year that involves parenting support, coping skills to prevent relapse, education about neonatal abstinence syndrome and the needs of a baby, according to the nonprofit.
Discussions about an in-residence treatment in Columbue bagan more than a year ago after the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County approached the organization about its services.
“They have their ears to the ground as to what types of treatment programs are out there,” von Arx said.
The Volunteers of America of Indiana hopes to hear in May on the status of a loan requested from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to purchase and renovate the building, von Arx said.
Currently, Volunteers of America of Indiana has three different treatment facilities each consisting of 15 beds under one roof in Indianapolis. It is scheduled to open a 23-bed treatment center in Winchester, just east of Muncie, next month, von Arx said.
The free program, which does not require insurance coverage, started in 2015, said Shannon Schumacher, executive vice president for strategic and clinical services. The organization chose Columbus as a potential site after looking at the number of opioid overdose deaths and the number of children in foster care in the area, Schumacher said.
Clients accepted into the program are primarily referred by the Indiana Department of Child Services with the average nine weeks stay, Schumacher said. The Indiana State Department of Health also provides funding for pregnant women who don’t have an open child services case, she said.
“We have very, very positive outcomes from the program,” Schumacher said. “We are there as a member of that community.”
Five people spoke to the BZA about the proposed plans, including three local doctors, who expressed support for the Fresh Start Recovery Center.
“We are wholeheartedly on board with this program,” said Jennifer Reed, a doctor with OB/GYN Associates in Columbus. “This is finally something that can make a difference.”
City Councilman Tom Dell, who co-owns Dell Bros. in downtown Columbus, also told the BZA that many business merchants he has talked with don’t have any concerns with the proposed facility. ASAP is also happy to partner with the Volunteers of America of Indiana for the in-treatment facility, said Cheryl Buffo, community programs lead with ASAP.
Buffo said the program will be a benefit for mothers with children.
“Their incentive to do well is in their arms,” Buffo said. “We’ve just needed this so desperately.”
If funding is awarded by the IHCDA, the facility expects to begin accepting patients by the end of the year once the building is purchased and renovated, according to Volunteers of America of Indiana.
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The organization, based in Indianapolis, is one of 35 affiliates of the Volunteers of America, created in 1896.
It provides services to every county in Indiana with the exception of Clark and Floyd and helps homeless veterans, individuals transitioning out of the criminal justice system, low-income seniors and other individuals.
More information: Visit voain.org
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