On any given day, thousands of men, women, and children are homeless in Kentucky. Nearly one-quarter of them are "chronically homeless," meaning they remain homeless for extended periods of time due to chemical dependency and other special needs. While the chronically homeless only represent one-quarter of the homeless population, they consume over 50 percent of homeless resources.
In January of 2005, the governor’s office unveiled Recovery Kentucky, an initiative to help Kentuckians recover from substance abuse, which often leads to chronic homelessness. The initiative will create at least ten housing recovery centers across the state, providing housing and recovery services for up to 1,000 people.
These housing recovery centers are being designed to reduce the state’s drug problem and resolve some of the state’s homeless issues simultaneously. They will help people recover from addiction and help them gain control of their lives to eventually reside in permanent housing.
With the use of Project-Based housing vouchers, each center will use a recovery program model that includes peer support, daily living skills training, job responsibilities and challenges to practice sober living.
This type of supportive housing and recovery program is proven to help people who face the most complex challenges to live more stable, productive lives. It has been demonstrated successfully by both the Hope Center in Lexington and The Healing Place in Louisville and was named "A Model That Works" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Without a stable place to live and a support system to help them address their underlying problems, most homeless people who also suffer from substance abuse and addiction bounce around between shelters, public hospitals, psychiatric institutions and detoxification centers. The Recovery Kentucky initiative will save Kentuckians millions in tax dollars that would have been spent on emergency room visits and jail costs.
The goal is to have at least two housing recovery centers in each congressional district. At least two will be located in eastern Kentucky, which is currently fighting an epidemic of prescription drug abuse.
Funding
Recovery Kentucky is a joint effort by the Department for Local Government (DLG), the Department of Corrections and Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC). These agencies have developed a financial plan that provides construction and operational financing, including a $2.5 million annual allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (Housing Credits) from KHC, which will generate a total equity investment of approximately $20 million for construction costs. Operational funding includes approximately $4 million from DLG’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and approximately $3 million from the Department of Corrections.