ASAP and Ivy Tech to develop recovery home manager internship program

Part of a $500,000 grant from the state will allow the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County and Ivy Tech to start an apprenticeship program for recovery residence house managers.

The Southeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board announced the initiative yesterday,with the grant funds coming through the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction, The investment board area includes Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, and Switzerland counties.

The apprenticeship program is the first of its kind in the state. It will be a year long program and participants will receive certification as a Recovery Residence House Manager. The goal is to develop the skills needed to supervise, support, and coach recovery house residents effectively.

Sherri Jewett, Executive Director of ASAP said the group was excited to develop the training program. She said that it “will result in improved outcomes for those that participate in recovery residence programs as well as provide employment opportunities for those in recovery.”

Some of the funds will also go to expand the substance abuse recovery system in the area with a peer recovery network. The workforce investment board will partner with Mental Health America of Indiana for the intiatiative to build the network. Organizers say the peer recovery system is a good career fit for those in recovery who want to help others through their recovery journey. Demand for those services is expected to grow by as much as 20 percent over the next decade.

The grant money comes through the American Rescue Plan Act funds.