Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) will celebrate the six-month anniversary of opening the ASAP Hub with an open house.
The Hub, a 2,000-square-foot recovery resource center located in the Doug Otto Center at 1531 13th St., will welcome visitors at a public open house at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27.
The goal of the open house is to show the community the facility, highlight the services ASAP provides and recognize the organizations, volunteers and donors who made the Hub possible, said ASAP Hub Director Nathan Walsh.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop is expected to attend the event, city officials said.
“We want them to see the Hub space for themselves and realize first and foremost that this is a relaxing, judgment-free space where people can get questions answered if they (or family members) are struggling with substance abuse disorder. We can help people on their recovery journey.”
Launched in 2017, ASAP is a community-wide response to address addiction, including the opioid crisis, in Bartholomew County. ASAP formed through a partnership of Columbus and Bartholomew County governments and Columbus Regional Health.
The Hub is seen as a crucial component to the strategy of addressing substance use disorder locally, ASAP officials said.
The facility provides resources needed to recover from addiction, including referrals to already existing programming, help with navigating the health care and insurance systems and resources for connecting to community services, down to the basics of obtaining food, housing and transportation.
The Hub was built in a renovated space in the former United Way of Bartholomew County office space in the Doug Otto Center that became available when United Way moved across the street to a renovated fire station.
Several volunteers and organization volunteered their time and money to help transform the office space into a space where those needing help and their families won’t be intimidated by their surroundings including a group of Mission Columbus volunteers, contractors, suppliers and others.
The value of the donated materials and work done in the design, deconstruction and construction of the ASAP Hub is estimated at $200,000, including the value of more than 185 volunteers donating over 1,560 hours and toward the project, said Matthew Neville, ASAP operations and communications manager, in a previous interview.
“We really want to recognize all the volunteers and hard work that went into making the Hub happen,” Walsh said. “…It’s to recognize the community and collaboration of the city, county and Columbus Regional (Health) to get the ASAP hub open, and all the volunteers and donations that made the Hub a functional place.”
From September to January, ASAP Hub staff saw 375 people, Walsh said. The facility opened last year for individuals, families and friends who are impacted by substance abuse disorder.
In December, ASAP had 150 cases of individuals or family members who were engaged in some part of the recovery process.
“It is open to everyone in the community, and we hope people come out to learn more about the services we offer,” Walsh said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About ASAP” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, or ASAP, is a community-wide response to address substance abuse, including the opioid crisis, in Bartholomew County.
The ASAP Hub is a recovery resource center, located in the Doug Otto Center at 1531 13th St., for individuals, families and friends who are impacted by substance abuse disorder.
Visit asapbc.org or call 812-418-8705 for more information.
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What: ASAP Hub open house
When: 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27
Where: Doug Otto Center at 1531 13th St.
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