LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Alex Elswick is a co-founder of Voices of Hope. He explains, "I think the first thing we want people to experience when they walk through the doors is a belongingness, is a sense that this is a place where they are welcomed."
The addiction recovery center offers people in the area a place for community. It’s a place where they can come get the help they need judgment-free.
Elswick says, "That's what we're about here. We don't focus on the pathology of addiction; we focus on the potential of recovery."
Voices of Hope started its work in 2014, following Elswick's own struggles with addiction.
He shares, "Yeah, addiction was rough. I got addicted to prescription opioids when I was 18 years old, and addiction took me to jail and in and out of treatment and in and out of homelessness. And I was really fortunate to benefit from a whole bunch of help from my community."
It inspired him to help other people. He says there's a 90% treatment gap — meaning that most people who need treatment don't get it.
"So, at some point you've got to ask the question, how are we going to serve those folks?" says Elswick.
In 2023, Voices of Hope offered more than 21,000 coaching sessions and more than 32,000 support calls. They plan to keep expanding, but it will cost money.
MacKenzie Scott recently donated $640 million to organizations across the country, including Voices of Hope. Elswick says the non-profit initially asked for $1 million to help people in this community, but it got $2 million.
Elswick explains, “We see fit, to better serve our employees — who are all people in recovery, to better serve our community, things like sustainability, keeping voices of hope around for years to come."
He says they want to continue their work and make sure people know that the support is there.
"We're doing our best to go out and meet people where they are with our mobile units and however we can... But to reach out and find a pathway that works for you. Just because you've tried something in the past and it didn't work — that was true for me many times — you can try something different, and we'll be here to help you,” says Elswick.
