GREENFIELD, Ind. -- He doesn't want to see it anymore -- people he knows, whose families he frequently runs into around the place where he has lived his entire life, ending up in jail -- or dead -- because of heroin.
Hancock County's prosecutor believes a new partnership that happened almost on the spur of the moment will keep those people alive and may finally help them kick a deadly habit.
Hancock County is partnering with Dove Recovery House, the Indianapolis drug treatment facility for women.
Prosecutor Brent Eaton already knew of Dove's work when it took in a woman who had been jailed for drugs, had tried and failed to get off them through the county's Drug Court program, when Dove Recovery stepped in as a last resort.
"[Dove] is a one-of-a-kind program offering a free, safe and sober home complete with motivational case management, trauma informed therapy, wrap around programming and life skills," said Wendy Noe, the facility's executive director.
When Dove officials met with Eaton over the summer to talk about the woman's progress, they talked about making the program available to other women, and whether Hancock County would be willing to pay for it.
Eaton just happened to be on his way to his annual budget meeting with the County Council, and he convinced the Council and later the Hancock County Commission to pay $18,000 to reserve four beds at Dove for the year.
The beds will be available to women who agree to enroll in Dove's program as a condition of their drug sentences. That's helpful to both Hancock County and the women who need the program; Dove can house up to 38 women at a time, and typically, there is no vacancy.
"We currently have a three-month wait list and average 100 calls a month regarding entry into the program," Noe said.
The program is free for those using it, which Noe says allows the women to focus on their sobriety and health, rather than worrying about getting a job immediately. The first 30 days while the woman is in the program is considered a still period, allowing women to adjust to the program's structure. Once approved by their case manager they can begin working, and after 30 days of employment will pay 30% of their income towards rent.
The money from the county will essentially be a large donation to Dove Recovery. The center does not receive any federal funding, operating exclusively on grants and donations.
For Eaton, it will be less of a burden on his county's law enforcement system -- the drug court and, especially, the jail that are not equipped to provide every service a drug addict needs to beat the addiction.
"I am hopeful this will work, so that we can renew this deal for another two or three years," Eaton said. "What is most impressive is that this literally went from an idea to having a contract in hand in 45 days. That is not how government typically works."
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