'I am supportive of the need for a women's recovery center...I think that they've (Overdose Lifeline) chosen a very unfortunate location for these women.'
INDIANAPOLIS — A holistic sober living home for women with children could be opening its doors in what used to be the Indy Hostel on the north side of Indianapolis.
"There's an active problem in our community with drug trafficking and drug abuse and alcoholism," Rice said. Heather Barney has been sober for over 22 years and has lived in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood for 12 of those years. Barney points out that Carvel Club, a place for AA and other 12 Step recovery groups, is around the corner. She says she has gone there often over the years."There's people with 50 years of sobriety in there," Barney said.
Erin Mooney, another longtime Meridian-Kessler resident of 12 years, says she looks at the women's recovery home as a chance to help.Mooney also believes the home Overdose Lifeline wants to open would not only be a place for the community to step up and help during the national addiction crisis, but it's also an opportunity for women who are parents or guardians looking for a stable, sober living facility.
Mooney thinks her neighbors with"No Rezone" signs in their yards are not aware of the core functions of the women's residence Overdose Lifeline is working to open. Opponents of the home have different ideas. Rice says, instead, that she thinks women struggling with their addiction need to depend on social services and have a fuller care plan in moments like these.
"People in early recovery often don't have their own transportation, and it's really one of the main requirements when you look at housing," she said."The guidelines around providing housing programs for individuals who need supportive housing is access to public transportation." "It's been very much like coming in and dictating terms rather than cooperating with us as a community and we are good people. We have social workers and teachers. I mean, it's just like a good middle-class kind of a neighborhood. A lot of small families and a lot of us have family members who are dealing with addiction. I'm a physician. I have patients who deal with addiction and so obviously, we want what's best for these women," Rice explained.
The properties allow for up to 42 guests, but Overdose Lifeline proposes using the homes for 18 to 20 women. The women will also be randomly drug tested, whereas travelers who came from all over the world to stay at Indy Hostel were not. "I think that there are a lot of people suffering in the community that needs a resource like this. And, you know, I hope that this will be a stable place for people to get back on their feet for years to come," Clust said.
"I had $5 going into that facility, and I've come out sober. I own a home, full-time job; I got professional degrees," Barney said."If you give the people a place and a chance, it's gonna save lives."
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