News release from Allen County Corrections:
Kelley House Modified Therapeutic Community to Close
Budget pressures force end to program for co-occurring disorders
(January 9, 2015) – Kelley House, an Allen County Community Corrections facility for individuals with combinations of mental health and substance abuse disorders, will close later this month due to budget constraints.
The closure of Kelley House, 2720 Culbertson St., is effective January 30, 2015, and will displace 14 current residents and eliminate eight full time employee positions. Four additional employees will be reassigned to other positions within Community Corrections.
“The Kelley House was a one-of-a-kind program that imparted life-changing influences for those it served in its four years of operation,” said Kim Churchward, executive director of Allen County Community Corrections. “We will lose eight highly professional employees, whose work helped to build the culture of positivity and integrity for that program.”
Kelley House was established at the former site of the Washington House, a substance abuse detoxification facility. It was named in honor of Jim Kelley, a founder of the original Washington House. Kelley House received its first clients in October 2010 and has served a total of 137 offenders. There are 33 active participants of the program, 14 in residence and 19 living on their own but still utilizing program aftercare services. Offenders are referred to the program by Allen Circuit and Superior Courts as a part of the Allen Circuit Court Restoration Court program.
Kelley House had a 2014/2015 annual operating budget of $1.3 million, funded through Indiana Department of Correction grant funds and Allen County Community Corrections project income, which includes minimal proceeds from Restoration Works Woodworking, an enterprise that is run by offenders in the program that creates wood products for sale. Allen County Community Corrections has an overall 2014/2015 annual operating budget of $5.5 million.
Kelley House was designed to function as a “Modified Therapeutic Community” (MTC) that addresses the needs of those with “co-occurring disorders,” a combination of at least one mental health disorder in addition to an alcohol or drug abuse disorder.
The Kelley House program employed a variety of methods to help individuals move toward “right living” – a higher self-awareness; improved decision making, problem solving skills, pro-social behaviors; improved self-efficacy and self-confidence; and increased ability to socialize in the community. The Kelley House MTC also worked to empower individuals to better function in the community through values, beliefs and teachings.
Allen Superior Court Judge John Surbeck, Chair of the Allen County Community Corrections Advisory Board, said that Community Corrections worked hard to find resources to sustain the Kelley House, including cutting equipment and service costs and eliminating positions through attrition.
“Our duty to be fiscally responsible ultimately forced us to make this difficult decision,” Surbeck said. “We are committed to a smooth transition for the offenders and for our employees who have been displaced as a result of the Kelley House closure.”
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