Hub gets first nod: $500,000 for resource center moves to city, county for approval

A new entity designed to help people with substance-abuse addictions navigate complex paths toward recovery is one step closer to reality.

A funding request for about $500,000 received a unanimous recommendation Monday from the Substance Abuse Public Funding Board.

Essentially a resource center, the Hub is where addicted individuals may find assistance and guidance in a variety of ways that include:

Resources needed to recover from substance abuse, including referrals to already existing programs.

Assistance in navigating health care and insurance systems.

Tracking down other useful community services, including the basics of obtaining food, housing and transportation.

Getting life-skills training to support addiction recovery such as helping with a job search, setting up transportation, computer classes and other skills.

The Hub has been described as one of 10 critical elements in Bartholomew County’s substance abuse support system since the inception of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) in April 2017.

Monday’s total request of $502,925 includes funding that will make ASAP an ongoing entity as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit corporation beginning next year.

As of now, the alliance is classified as an initiative made up of members of other public and private organizations that is set to expire as an entity next year.

Although the alliance is already recognized as a nonprofit by the state, the organization is waiting to receive its federal tax exemption status that will allow it to receive and spend charitable funds, ASAP advisor Mary Ferdon said.

Since its inception in April 2017, ASAP has launched 31 of the 41 projects it has introduced. About half of the new programs are expected to be completed by May, ASAP Executive Lead Jeff Jones said.

About 76 percent of Monday’s request will be spent on staff, while the remaining 24 percent will go toward operational costs, Jones said.

About $216,000 would be spent to hire a recovery specialist for the Hub, as well as a general manager and volunteer services manager. Meanwhile, the request calls for $165,375 to be spent for new ASAP staff, including an executive director, an operations manager and a communications specialist.

However, Columbus addiction specialist Dr. Theodora Saddoris advised that the $60,000 set aside to pay each recovery specialist may not be enough to attract qualified applicants.

While the board gave the request its blessing, members do not have the authority to spend public funds. Instead, their positive recommendation is expected to go before both the Columbus City and the Bartholomew County councils before the end of the year. The board is recommending that the city and county evenly split the funding request.

If both councils give their approval, the Hub is expected to serve at least 1,000 clients annually at the former United Way office in the Doug Otto Center, 1531 13th St., Columbus.

While ASAP officials would ideally like to have the Hub open in January, funding board member Carl Lienhoop said it’s unlikely everything will be in place until later in the winter.

Although ASAP is only seeking funding for its proposals through 2019, city and county officials will be shown the results and metrics of new programs so they can determine whether they are worthy of longer-term support, Ferdon said last month.

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A $502,925 funding request from the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress will likely be considered for city and county approval before the end of the year. But as of now, neither the Columbus City nor the Bartholomew County councils have released their agendas for next month.  

The Columbus City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at City Hall, 123 Washington St. Meanwhile, the next meeting of the Bartholomew County Council is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Bartholomew County Governmental Office building, located at the corner of Third and Franklin streets.

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