A 23-bed residential facility providing addiction treatment for expectant women and mothers will likely open in downtown Columbus early next year.
The Volunteers of America Indiana organization announced it has purchased a building at 703 Washington St. to house the Fresh Start Recovery Center.
When the proposal was unveiled last spring, organization vice president Shannon Schumacher said it would be a free program that will not require insurance coverage.
Accepted clients are primarily referred by the Indiana Department of Child Services with an average stay of nine weeks, Schumacher said.
The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority is financing the $875,000 purchase as part of a $1.2 million loan that will also pay for renovation costs.
An additional $200,000 in funding is being provided by the Columbus Regional Health Foundation, while program services will be funded by the Department of Child Services. The Indiana State Department of Health also provides funding for pregnant women who don’t have an open child services case.
When the project was first proposed last spring, members of the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals were informed the 17-bedroom facility would be staffed by at least two people at all times, with as many as 10 staff members during the day.
There will also be kitchen and laundry room space, in addition to common living and meeting room areas, according to the conditional-use request application unanimously approved April 24 by the BZA.
Pregnant clients will be allowed to have up two children age 5 or younger live with them during their treatment, the application stated.
Volunteers of America Indiana president and CEO John von Arx III said treatment programs that separate mothers from their children interrupt the important bonding process.
“By offering a home-like environment, Fresh Start Recovery Center provides the stable foundation for women to successfully address their addiction-related disorders while also caring for their children,” von Arx said.
The first of the two-phase Fresh Start treatment 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, Schumacher said.
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.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop described southern Indiana as being in the nation’s epicenter for opioid abuse.
The impact has been devastating in terms of lost lives, property crime, unemployment, health care costs and broken families, the mayor said.
But Lienhoop also said he believes Fresh Start will help the region strengthen local families and the community.
While emphasizing such a facility is needed in Columbus, especially in light of the city’s severe housing crisis, Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson said it’s just one piece of what the community needs to address the drug crisis.
Originally the Columbus post office, the 22,500-square-foot building that will house Fresh Start was once utilized by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., but more recently, it has been known as the LHP Guest House.
By opening the downtown location, the Volunteers of America Indiana organization will be expanding programs offered in Indianapolis since 2015, as well as since June in Randolph County, located north of Richmond.
Beside Columbus, an Evansville treatment center is expected to open next year as well.
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The nonprofit that will operate the Fresh Start Recovery Center in Columbus is part of Volunteers of America, a national, non-profit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential.
Established in 1896, Volunteers of America helps nearly 2 million people across the country, including more than 3,300 in Indiana, through thousands of human services programs that include housing and healthcare.
These are programs intended to empower vulnerable groups such as low-income seniors, veterans and people recovering from addictions.
Besides residential services, Volunteers of America also provides counseling, rehabilitation and job placement services.
For online information regarding the Fresh Start Recovery Center, go to voain.org
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