Two proposals to help those recovering from addiction will go before the Substance Abuse Public Funding Board in Columbus next week.
One is a request for $92,603 for expenses associated with the establishment of a Bartholomew County Problem Solving Adult Drug Court at the courthouse.
The second request is seeking $200,000 to help renovate a former post office building that will become the Fresh Start Recovery Center Residential Treatment Center for Women later this year.
While the two proposals received a thumbs up Friday from a dozen members of the Substance Abuse Advisory and Accountability Committee, that’s only the first step. The proposals also need a favorable recommendation after being presented to the public funding board at 9 a.m. Jan. 18 inside the council chambers at Columbus City Hall.
If the funding board approves, both proposals then go before the Columbus city and the Bartholomew County councils. Only elected council members have the legal authority to approve public funding for the programs.
On Tuesday, the county council provided the drug court its first-year allocation of $124,063 from a four-year federal grant that will allow a senior case manager to begin assessing drug court referrals.
The funding board is being asked to recommend using local tax dollars to fund a special drug court prosecutor and a family law magistrate, as well as other costs such as drug tests.
Although drug court costs are expected to rise in the upcoming years, Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin emphasized that only 2019 expenses are being sought at this time. Other funding sources will be explored in the future, the judge said.
With a goal of reuniting families and repairing lives, drug courts create a team focused on rebuilding lives so individuals can re-enter the community rather than continue a cycle of repeated arrests and jail time, Benjamin said.
The establishment of the Fresh Start Recovery Center — a 23-bed residential facility providing addiction treatment for expectant women and mothers — was announced last August.
Their program is unique in that it allows female clients to have up to two children age 5 or younger live with them during their addiction treatment.
While the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority is financing the $875,000 purchase of the building at 703 Washington St., an additional $200,000 in funding is being provided by the Columbus Regional Health Foundation.
The Fresh Start grant now being considered is intended to fill a one-time gap in renovation expenses, according to committee member Julie Abedian.
With several locations in other Indiana communities, statistics show 61 percent of mothers with children successfully complete the Fresh Start recovery program, compared to between 30 to 40 percent for traditional treatment programs, Abedian said.
If the public funding board gives these proposals favorable recommendations next week, the Columbus City Council will initially be asked to approve their share of the funding on Feb. 5, Benjamin said.
If approved by the city, the final step needed for approval would be the Bartholomew County Council, she said.
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Two grant proposals will be considered next week by the Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Public Funding Board.
The requests are:
- $92,603 is being sought for expenses related to establishign a Bartholomew County Adult Drug Court.
- $200,000 to help renovate a former post office building that will become the Fresh Start Recovery Center Residential Treatment Center for Women later this year.
Both requests will be considered when the funding board meets at 9 a.m. Jan. 18 inside the council chambers at Columbus City Hall. If the board give the proposals favorable recommendations, the proposals will go next before the Columbus City and Bartholomew County councils for consideration.
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