Women’s recovery space opens near Mount Vernon
MOUNT VERNON — Knox County women recovering from drug addiction have a new place to call home.
Mental Health and Recovery of Licking and Knox Counties welcomed visitors to check out its newest women’s recovery home near Mount Vernon at a housewarming party this month. That was the only time the house will be open to the public before residents moved in.
“There’s a lot of stigma still around recovery houses, so we wanted people to come in and see this is a family home,” said Kay Spergel, the agency’s executive director. “Families invite company in and we’re here, part of the neighborhood.”
Recovery housing provides people leaving rehab with a safe and sober living environment to help build a strong foundation, Spergel said.
Some people have loved ones waiting for them at home who can provide that environment. But for those who don’t have homes free from drugs and alcohol to return to, Spergel said, recovery houses are another step on the path to sober living.
Unlike traditional halfway houses, the recovery house can be a permanent residence. While many residents live in recovery houses between 18 and 24 months, there is no limit on how long they can stay.
“Healing can take a long time, but this (house) represents for people a lot of hope,” Spergel said.
The home, a secluded four-bedroom off Wooster Road near the Knox County seat, will house up to four women. Women will go through an application process to live in the home. The residents should all be moved in by the end of the month, Spergel said.
Funding for the house came from Mental Health and Recovery of Licking and Knox Counties and was matched with state funding. Residents will pay rent to live at the house. The exact amount hasn’t been determined, but the women will likely pay a few hundred dollars a month, said Emily Morrison, the agency’s community relations coordinator.
The house will also be monitored by a live-in house manager employed by Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio.
The house manager provides accountability for the women living there and will help them learn new skills, said Kate St. James, CEO of Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio. She also will provide peer support to the women as someone who has been though rehab herself.
Nadine Wysinger, the home’s manager, has been sober since 1996. After completing rehab in the mid-1990s, she was ordered to live in a halfway house in Dayton for 90 days.
Wysinger, 64, said a lot has changed for her since then. Before moving to Mount Vernon, she was managing four recovery houses in Dayton, but not as a live-in manager.
“These women are looking for a safe, stable environment,” Wysinger said. “Not just physically safe, but emotionally and spiritually safe.”
Law enforcement, representatives of the governor’s office and community members walked through the home’s freshly painted hallways during the open house. Some left notes of encouragement for the women.
Jessi Clinger, 29, of Mount Vernon, was among the guests.
Clinger, who celebrates five years of sobriety this month, said she wished this had been an option for her when she exited rehab.
“It’s so dignifying,” Clinger said.