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Kosciusko County Opioid Committee awarded $280,000 to three separate addiction and recovery organizations during a meeting Thursday, Sept. 17.
The committee had $353,234 in restricted funds and $56,985.43 in unrestricted funds available.
Crystal Lewallen, RISE Teen Space program director and certified professional in youth and mental health, requested $109,000 to help the community’s youth.
RISE (Resilience, Inspiration, Support and Empowerment) is a program run through Living in Transition Effectively (LITE) Recovery focused on giving teenagers a safe, welcoming place to build their future. The program operates through RISE Teen Space in Milford and RISE Support Group in Warsaw.
Lewallen explained teenagers face many pressures that can affect their mental health, relationships, education, decision-making and sense of belonging.
Lewallen stated teenagers need accessible, youth-centered spaces to “develop positive relationships, learn life skills, participate in meaningful activities and connect with resources.”
“RISE creates an environment where teens are welcome, respected and encouraged to make healthy choices,” Lewallen said. “(It’s a place where teenagers) can be themselves without judgment.”
During a discussion about overdose awareness with teens at a RISE session, 12 out of 15 teenagers present said they had lost a loved one or someone they knew to overdose.
With funding, LITE Recovery will increase RISE program opportunities, including team, educational, leadership and volunteer development activities; peer connection; mentoring and more. The funds will also help individuals connect to community resources and supportive services.
Lewallen shared participation at the RISE Teen Space increased from three visits in January to 109 visits in August. That number includes repeat visits from individuals.
“We have engaged around 50 individual teens and we now average 18 to 20 participants each time we are open,” Lewallen said.
With funding, Lewallen intends to move from two to three sessions per week and serve approximately 100 individuals during this year.
Sue Ann Mitchell, Kosciusko County commissioner, expressed interest during the last meeting in writing a grant to an organization supporting children and teenagers affected by drug use at home. Mitchell said “this certainly sounds like that” organization.
She also said the stories about helping teenagers through RISE in the fund application were “very, very touching” and asked about one story where an individual was only there for a referral.
Lewallen explained the individual said she was only going to be at the RISE Teen Space for the four hours required of her, but ended up coming back and still uses the resources available.
“That’s a sign, obviously, that there’s some interest there,” Mitchell said.
Committee and County Council President Tony Ciriello told Lewallen the budget presented “seemed reasonable” but asked if LITE Recovery would still be able to operate without receiving the full $109,000. Lewallen said other funding opportunities were also available to apply for.
“Our challenge is to make this (funding) spread out as best we can,” said Joe Irwin, committee member and county councilman.
The request was approved for $75,000.
Next, the committee heard from Eric Lane, co-founder and executive director of Fellowship Missions, who requested $200,000.
The funding would support three initiatives: construction of a women’s next-step home, renovation of the organization’s second men’s next-step home and transportation.
Fellowship Missions currently has two men’s next-step homes available. Funding would support construction of a home strictly for women as well as more space in the second men’s next-step home. Between the two residences, 12 additional residents would be supported.
Lane stated the organization provided 14,000 miles of transportation for individuals inside and outside the emergency shelter. Funding would also support counseling calls at the shelter and help individuals move beyond the shelter.
“The shelter’s not the end spot for individuals, and we want to see them move forward and overcome the hurdles they have in front of them,” Lane said.
He said individuals who go through Fellowship Missions programming are still tied to the organization by receiving support during recovery meetings happening at The Gathering Place.
“We’re trying to offer that next step for them to (find) independence,” Lane added.
Lane said most of the other cost is secured, and the funding requested from the committee is just a portion of that cost.
“I do have to say I appreciate what you’ve done with The Gathering Place,” Mitchell said. “I’m just going to say it: I think that has made a much greater comfort level with a whole lot of people with what we have in the drug community.”
Ciriello asked how long residents live in the homes, to which Lane explained residents usually stay for about two years, but there is no maximum amount of time. Fellowship Missions tracks their progress to make sure they are “moving forward” and achieving their goals.
Residents also live at the emergency shelter before they are placed in a home to make sure they are a good fit. Several residents who have used the facility are now going through Reentry Court.
“That was pretty impressive,” Mitchell said. She described how most of the people who appeared for Reentry Court stated they were “comfortable” knowing they had “some place to put their head on a pillow.”
The request was approved for $175,000.
The committee last heard from Autumn Kiles, administrative assistant with Serenity House Inc., requesting $30,000 to sustain and strengthen operations across three recovery homes located in Warsaw during the 2027 project year.
The 501(c)(3) organization intends to use a portion of the request for each transitional recovery home in three categories: operations support, resident support and home improvements.
Kiles said each home provides “structured, peer-supported residential living for individuals in recovery from opioid use disorder and substance use disorder.” Each home is also managed by experienced house managers, providing the “scaffolding of early recovery,” Kiles added.
Those living in transitional recovery homes participate in community house games, adhere to sobriety agreements, stay connected with treatment providers and participate in mutual aid programs, among other support systems.
Residents will be supported with personal care and hygiene items, recovery literature, transportation to medical appointments, structured life skills coaching and emergency funds.
After some brief deliberation, the committee approved the request.
Ciriello concluded the meeting by thanking all three organizations for their “investment into the community.”
“I know our sheriff’s department appreciates it, and we do, too,” Irwin said.
The Kosciusko County Opioid Committee’s next meeting will be Thursday, Dec. 17, pending additional funding.
