VOA Reaffirms Commitment to Clay County

Volunteers of America (VOA) is so incredibly grateful for the support and partnership of the Clay County community over the past five and a half years. Seeing the work that we have accomplished together be celebrated in front of our U.S. Senator, Mitch McConnell, the Director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta, President Stivers, Mayor Razmus and so many others on August 17 was a testament to the impact we are having together.

One of the highlights of the event was spotlighting how Manchester and Clay County have become a model for community change that is being emulated across the region and the Commonwealth. VOA has launched another “recovery ecosystem” in Pulaski, Rockcastle, and Lincoln Counties and we are using this community as the template. From delivering healthy babies to assisting more than 400 women on the path to recovery at Freedom House to the more than 1,200 visits to our Recovery Community Center last quarter and six graduates to date of our family recovery court, we are seeing the positive results of these investments.

Over the past five years, we have added many new resources to fight one of the most debilitating challenges of our times—substance use disorder. We have provided professional services that ensure people are cared for in ways that are aligned with state-of-the-art best practices. We know there have been some questions asked about what happens to our residents when they leave Freedom House, and we want to assure you that no one leaves without a plan and a place to go. Our discharge planning process requires our staff to guarantee our residents have housing and a stable plan in place before they leave. Even if our residents wish to leave early, against staff advice, we will assist them with a discharge plan. Not only is this our commitment to those we serve, but this is also our commitment to you and to the community at large. In addition to addiction recovery services, VOA is a large provider of homeless services and affordable housing across the region and would never participate in activities that contribute to homelessness.

In February of 2018, we had our first public townhall meeting at Greenbriar Presbyterian Church, and our commitment from that first introduction has remained the same—to work with the community to address complex challenges and to do so in a way that is collaborative and supportive of the greater good. Our doors are always open and our dedication to making positive change with you has never been stronger.

Jennifer Hancock is President & CEO of Volunteers of America Mid-States. Stephanie Hoskins is VOA’s Senior Director of Rural Addiction Services.