Rose Home Deserves Support
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Gary [email protected]
The Rose Home, located north of Syracuse, bills itself as a “place of hope and healing” for drug- or alcohol-addicted women. The home provides a structured environment and employs the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous and a five-level recovery program that takes about nine months to complete.
Weekly case management, life skills classes, spiritual counseling, 24-hour staffing and secure living is provided.
Mary told me about an interesting couple of guests who appeared at the last board meeting.
Two bail bondsmen – one from Wabash County and one from Avon, near Indianapolis – came to the meeting to discuss their dilemma.
There simply aren’t enough beds in Indiana to house women who are transitioning from jail, through the court system, and into a drug rehab program.
The bail bondsmen told the board stories of calling and traveling across the state trying to place women in various facilities. All of the facilities were either full or did not have the proper programs in place to satisfy court requirements.
They also told the board the number of women in need of recovery programs statewide is exploding and they were thrilled to find the Rose Home because there is a severe lack of those types of facilities.
Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine bears this out. He says there are a growing number of women in his jail today, many of whom are facing drug charges and are in need of rehab.
Unfortunately, the Rose Home is full. It has only 10 beds, but could fairly easily be expanded to offer 12 beds. The director, Beth Morgan, says the home currently has nearly 30 applications waiting for a spot.
While disappointed at Rose Home’s current inability to house their clients, the bail bondsmen left their information and asked to be advised when space becomes available.
But there is an even bigger problem.
The Rose Home is broke.
Morgan told me when women arrive at the home, they can’t immediately go out and get a job to help pay for their services. They need time for treatment and recovery before they can start working and help pay their own way.
During that interim period, funds are needed for everything – the program itself, the books and journals the girls use, drug testing equipment, money for counseling appointments, operational expenses, toiletries and other personal necessities, Morgan said.
Lately, the staff has literally been working for nothing – volunteering – and donating money out of their own pockets, hoping someday they’ll get paid for their work.
They do that because they believe in the home’s mission.
Morgan said they’ve been having some type of fundraiser each month – a few hundred here, a few hundred there – trying to make ends meet, but they’re falling short.
This is sad because it seems to me this is precisely the kind of operation that is sorely needed. Let’s think this through for a minute.
A woman gets hooked on drugs. She winds up getting arrested. She goes to jail. When she gets out of jail, she heads back to the same old friends and the same old situations. What’s the likelihood that she’ll just turn right back to the drugs that got her in trouble in the first place?
Compare and contrast that with a recovery program like the Rose Home. The woman spends less time in jail if she agrees to get well.
She comes out of the Rose Home drug-free with a completely different outlook. Sure, there’s always a chance that she will wind up on drugs again, but the recidivism rate falls dramatically when women get treatment and go through recovery.
Isn’t this what our community wants? Isn’t this what our community needs?
Apparently it is, because Serenity House does just that for men in Warsaw.
Another thing to consider here is children. Addiction is a different problem with women than men. When women go to jail, kids are far more negatively affected.
Perhaps that’s why Serenity House is in the process of gaining approval for a recovery home for women in Warsaw.
So, apparently funding sources in Warsaw are well aware of the relative worth of such programs. And it’s not like we could ever have too many beds for women in need of recovery in this county.
Even so, local funding sources have been skeptical of the Rose Home’s requests.
To be fair, there were some leadership and administration problems for a time at the Rose Home. Even though those days are gone, I think folks want to see solid results before ponying up any cash.
But what we have here is a classic chicken and egg situation. Funding sources want to see results. I get that.
But it takes money to get results. If there is no money – and soon – the program at the Rose Home may fail.
I can say with a great deal of confidence that the days of troubled administration are behind the Rose Home. The staff today is competent and caring.
If anyone is looking for a place to donate. Or if there is any grant money out there looking for place to land, take a look at the Rose Home.
If you want to help you can send a donation to:
Rose Home
POB 517
Syracuse, IN 46567
It’s a 501(c)3 non-profit so donations are tax deductible.
If you would like to talk to Morgan, she would be happy to explain the Rose Home’s needs and its mission.
Give her a call:
574-527-1382.[[In-content Ad]]
The Rose Home, located north of Syracuse, bills itself as a “place of hope and healing” for drug- or alcohol-addicted women. The home provides a structured environment and employs the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous and a five-level recovery program that takes about nine months to complete.
Weekly case management, life skills classes, spiritual counseling, 24-hour staffing and secure living is provided.
Mary told me about an interesting couple of guests who appeared at the last board meeting.
Two bail bondsmen – one from Wabash County and one from Avon, near Indianapolis – came to the meeting to discuss their dilemma.
There simply aren’t enough beds in Indiana to house women who are transitioning from jail, through the court system, and into a drug rehab program.
The bail bondsmen told the board stories of calling and traveling across the state trying to place women in various facilities. All of the facilities were either full or did not have the proper programs in place to satisfy court requirements.
They also told the board the number of women in need of recovery programs statewide is exploding and they were thrilled to find the Rose Home because there is a severe lack of those types of facilities.
Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine bears this out. He says there are a growing number of women in his jail today, many of whom are facing drug charges and are in need of rehab.
Unfortunately, the Rose Home is full. It has only 10 beds, but could fairly easily be expanded to offer 12 beds. The director, Beth Morgan, says the home currently has nearly 30 applications waiting for a spot.
While disappointed at Rose Home’s current inability to house their clients, the bail bondsmen left their information and asked to be advised when space becomes available.
But there is an even bigger problem.
The Rose Home is broke.
Morgan told me when women arrive at the home, they can’t immediately go out and get a job to help pay for their services. They need time for treatment and recovery before they can start working and help pay their own way.
During that interim period, funds are needed for everything – the program itself, the books and journals the girls use, drug testing equipment, money for counseling appointments, operational expenses, toiletries and other personal necessities, Morgan said.
Lately, the staff has literally been working for nothing – volunteering – and donating money out of their own pockets, hoping someday they’ll get paid for their work.
They do that because they believe in the home’s mission.
Morgan said they’ve been having some type of fundraiser each month – a few hundred here, a few hundred there – trying to make ends meet, but they’re falling short.
This is sad because it seems to me this is precisely the kind of operation that is sorely needed. Let’s think this through for a minute.
A woman gets hooked on drugs. She winds up getting arrested. She goes to jail. When she gets out of jail, she heads back to the same old friends and the same old situations. What’s the likelihood that she’ll just turn right back to the drugs that got her in trouble in the first place?
Compare and contrast that with a recovery program like the Rose Home. The woman spends less time in jail if she agrees to get well.
She comes out of the Rose Home drug-free with a completely different outlook. Sure, there’s always a chance that she will wind up on drugs again, but the recidivism rate falls dramatically when women get treatment and go through recovery.
Isn’t this what our community wants? Isn’t this what our community needs?
Apparently it is, because Serenity House does just that for men in Warsaw.
Another thing to consider here is children. Addiction is a different problem with women than men. When women go to jail, kids are far more negatively affected.
Perhaps that’s why Serenity House is in the process of gaining approval for a recovery home for women in Warsaw.
So, apparently funding sources in Warsaw are well aware of the relative worth of such programs. And it’s not like we could ever have too many beds for women in need of recovery in this county.
Even so, local funding sources have been skeptical of the Rose Home’s requests.
To be fair, there were some leadership and administration problems for a time at the Rose Home. Even though those days are gone, I think folks want to see solid results before ponying up any cash.
But what we have here is a classic chicken and egg situation. Funding sources want to see results. I get that.
But it takes money to get results. If there is no money – and soon – the program at the Rose Home may fail.
I can say with a great deal of confidence that the days of troubled administration are behind the Rose Home. The staff today is competent and caring.
If anyone is looking for a place to donate. Or if there is any grant money out there looking for place to land, take a look at the Rose Home.
If you want to help you can send a donation to:
Rose Home
POB 517
Syracuse, IN 46567
It’s a 501(c)3 non-profit so donations are tax deductible.
If you would like to talk to Morgan, she would be happy to explain the Rose Home’s needs and its mission.
Give her a call:
574-527-1382.[[In-content Ad]]
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