MOREHEAD, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Sabrina Oswald remembers a time when her life felt out of control. “It was messy,” Oswald said.
For Oswald, that meant being out of work, struggling to find her next meal and living without her children.
“It was not a life I was proud of,” she said.
Today, Oswald says her life looks completely different. “I have stable housing. I have stable employment. I get to see my kids. I’m working to get custody back of my kids. I’m sober,” Oswald said.
Oswald credits Recovery Rowan County with helping her turn her life around. The nonprofit helps more than 150 people each year as they work through addiction, recovery and other challenges.
Now, new federal funding will allow the organization to expand its reach.
Recovery Rowan County will receive $350,000 a year for the next three years, bringing the total investment to more than $1 million.
The nonprofit provides support based on individual needs, including food assistance, transportation and mental health resources.
During the second and third years of the grant, Recovery Rowan County plans to expand its efforts into Bath and Morgan counties.
“This is going to allow us to provide training and support to Morgan and Bath counties so that they can decide if they want to start their own recovery community centers or if they want to work with us to develop satellite locations so that their recovery communities can enjoy this type of support as well,” said Gene Detherage, board chair of Recovery Rowan County.
The federal funding will also allow the nonprofit to restart its jail-to-community reentry program after a lack of funding forced the program to end.
The program will connect people with nonviolent offenses to recovery coaching and help prepare them for employment and life after they return to the community.
Detherage said having people who understand the challenges of recovery is an important part of that support.
“Understand where someone’s at in their journey. Understand the emotional toll of their struggles, but be able to support those and constantly be a representation that success is possible,” Detherage said. “That is really where the magic happens.”
Recovery Rowan County hopes the new funding will allow more people to receive the kind of support Oswald says helped change her life.
“The possibilities will be endless,” Oswald said.
Alex Barber is committed to covering stories in your community that matter to you. If you have an idea, reach out to him at alex.barber@wlex.tv
