County Provides Resources For Those Seeking To Beat Addiction
June 20, 2019 at 11:47 p.m.
By Amanda Bridgman-
Why? Because more than 14 local organizations will be set up in the lobby ready and willing to provide free resources for anyone needing help with addiction. It's called Community Resource Day and this will be its third time setting up shop to help people find help.
Coordinator Courtney Jenkins, who devotes many volunteer hours to help inmates and their families lead clean and healthy lives, says the new program needs more publicity.
"The turnout hasn't been great yet," Jenkins admitted, adding that is in part due to the change in how visitation at the jail works.
"Instead of everybody going in between the hours of one and four, or you know, whatever it was, and we would have had a captive audience with that set up. The visitation system changed where people schedule their visits."
She hopes more people will consider stopping by, no matter what kind of resources they're looking for.
"For instance, we can give information for say, Bridge of Hope, so here's their contact number and they offer addition resource help, or here's this organization and they focus on this and here's who to call," said. "It can really help point someone in the right direction."
A resource she likes to highlight for inmates, once out of jail, is the help the group can provide in regard to health insurance.
"Inmates automatically get HIP (Healthy Indiana Plan Medicaid) insurance if they've been incarcerated for more than 30 days, so getting connected with Brightpoint is really important for them to get that paperwork finished."
Jenkins also noted anyone looking for a recovery coach or a list of meetings, all of which would be free of charge, can find that information during the Community Resource Day.
"This is for when they decide, 'you know what, today's the day,'" she said.
Jenkins has been running the Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) since January; the program started in October of last year. The program provides a selected group of inmate applicants with 8-hour days filled with counseling and classes. The goal there is to teach inmates how to be better parents, have higher self-esteem, be ready to enter the workforce and adjust to life beyond bars once released.
The program lasts 120 days and ends with a graduation. Two female groups have graduated since the program's beginning. A group of 10 men started June 10, Jenkins said.
Jenkins said two womens' classes have shown positive and effective results.
An example: "I just had a girl call me today, and she's been out a couple of weeks, and she said, 'I don't know how to get my insurance started. I have that paper that you gave me. I don't know why, but I'm really intimidated to make this appointment. Do you think you could help me with this?"
While scheduling an appointment for insurance may not seem like an anxious task to some, it can be those who have spent time incarcerated and find themselves trying to navigate a new lifestyle, Jenkins said.
"It's being able to just do those little things with them that makes me feel so good," she said.
Another example: Here's a really great feel-good portion of our program. We had a girl looking at a modification to community corrections. The judge approved her and she got the paperwork saying she was approved. She came to me and was crying when she showed me the paper. I started reading it and I said, 'hey, you've been accepted, this is good.' And she said, 'I know, but I'm so afraid. What if I screw this up? What if I mess this up?"
Jenkins said she and the jail commander Shane Coney brought the girl into Coney's office.
"And he said, tell me why you're afraid, and suddenly he was like in dad-mode and you know, he's a jail commander, he's a rough and tumble kinda guy. She's 19 years old. And he said to her, 'Do you know how to get here?' and she said 'Yes, I've been here a couple of times.' and he said, 'No, I meant my office. Do you know how to contact Courtney,' and she was crying and he said if you get into trouble or you have a problem you come back and get help, we're not going to put cuffs on you, we want you to get help."
Jenkins said the help she is trying to provide the community with is a group effort between all of the organizations involved and the sheriff's office.
The program is funded through grant money. That money is just enough to pay the counseling bills, she said. "And not much else. I do this all volunteer because I believe in it."
Jenkins now hopes to see positive and effective results from the new Community Resource Days being offered.
The following dates and times are planned days, all which take place in the jail lobby, located at 221 W. Main St., Warsaw:
Saturday, June 22, 1-6 p.m.;
Tuesday, July 23, 1-6 p.m.;
Saturday, Aug. 24, 1-6 p.m.;
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1-6 p.m.;
Saturday, Oct. 26, 1-6 p.m.
For more information about finding help, contact the sheriff's office at 866-322-5857.
"These resource days are for anybody," Jenkins stressed.
Why? Because more than 14 local organizations will be set up in the lobby ready and willing to provide free resources for anyone needing help with addiction. It's called Community Resource Day and this will be its third time setting up shop to help people find help.
Coordinator Courtney Jenkins, who devotes many volunteer hours to help inmates and their families lead clean and healthy lives, says the new program needs more publicity.
"The turnout hasn't been great yet," Jenkins admitted, adding that is in part due to the change in how visitation at the jail works.
"Instead of everybody going in between the hours of one and four, or you know, whatever it was, and we would have had a captive audience with that set up. The visitation system changed where people schedule their visits."
She hopes more people will consider stopping by, no matter what kind of resources they're looking for.
"For instance, we can give information for say, Bridge of Hope, so here's their contact number and they offer addition resource help, or here's this organization and they focus on this and here's who to call," said. "It can really help point someone in the right direction."
A resource she likes to highlight for inmates, once out of jail, is the help the group can provide in regard to health insurance.
"Inmates automatically get HIP (Healthy Indiana Plan Medicaid) insurance if they've been incarcerated for more than 30 days, so getting connected with Brightpoint is really important for them to get that paperwork finished."
Jenkins also noted anyone looking for a recovery coach or a list of meetings, all of which would be free of charge, can find that information during the Community Resource Day.
"This is for when they decide, 'you know what, today's the day,'" she said.
Jenkins has been running the Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) since January; the program started in October of last year. The program provides a selected group of inmate applicants with 8-hour days filled with counseling and classes. The goal there is to teach inmates how to be better parents, have higher self-esteem, be ready to enter the workforce and adjust to life beyond bars once released.
The program lasts 120 days and ends with a graduation. Two female groups have graduated since the program's beginning. A group of 10 men started June 10, Jenkins said.
Jenkins said two womens' classes have shown positive and effective results.
An example: "I just had a girl call me today, and she's been out a couple of weeks, and she said, 'I don't know how to get my insurance started. I have that paper that you gave me. I don't know why, but I'm really intimidated to make this appointment. Do you think you could help me with this?"
While scheduling an appointment for insurance may not seem like an anxious task to some, it can be those who have spent time incarcerated and find themselves trying to navigate a new lifestyle, Jenkins said.
"It's being able to just do those little things with them that makes me feel so good," she said.
Another example: Here's a really great feel-good portion of our program. We had a girl looking at a modification to community corrections. The judge approved her and she got the paperwork saying she was approved. She came to me and was crying when she showed me the paper. I started reading it and I said, 'hey, you've been accepted, this is good.' And she said, 'I know, but I'm so afraid. What if I screw this up? What if I mess this up?"
Jenkins said she and the jail commander Shane Coney brought the girl into Coney's office.
"And he said, tell me why you're afraid, and suddenly he was like in dad-mode and you know, he's a jail commander, he's a rough and tumble kinda guy. She's 19 years old. And he said to her, 'Do you know how to get here?' and she said 'Yes, I've been here a couple of times.' and he said, 'No, I meant my office. Do you know how to contact Courtney,' and she was crying and he said if you get into trouble or you have a problem you come back and get help, we're not going to put cuffs on you, we want you to get help."
Jenkins said the help she is trying to provide the community with is a group effort between all of the organizations involved and the sheriff's office.
The program is funded through grant money. That money is just enough to pay the counseling bills, she said. "And not much else. I do this all volunteer because I believe in it."
Jenkins now hopes to see positive and effective results from the new Community Resource Days being offered.
The following dates and times are planned days, all which take place in the jail lobby, located at 221 W. Main St., Warsaw:
Saturday, June 22, 1-6 p.m.;
Tuesday, July 23, 1-6 p.m.;
Saturday, Aug. 24, 1-6 p.m.;
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1-6 p.m.;
Saturday, Oct. 26, 1-6 p.m.
For more information about finding help, contact the sheriff's office at 866-322-5857.
"These resource days are for anybody," Jenkins stressed.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092