BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Of the nearly $14 million in Appalachian Regional Commission INSPIRE grants awarded to 43 projects to support substance abuse recovery programs, $500,000 is coming to Thrive Community Coalition in Inez. ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin joined Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Monday in Ashland to make the announcement.
Thrive Community Coalition will put the money to use for the Come Alive: Nurturing Recovery Through Training and Employment project.
Through an existing partnership with the Martin County Attorney’s office, individuals near the end of their residential treatment program or enrollment in their intensive outpatient program will be referred to the Come Alive program for peer mentoring, assessment and job training. An employer liaison will develop employer partnerships with local businesses and increase awareness of the benefits of second-chance employment.
The project is expected to serve and improve 140 workers and 20 businesses.
Eric Mills, executive director of Thrive Community Coalition, applied for the grant in February. He said it was a long shot, and he was not expecting to receive the funding.
“This came as a great surprise, but it couldn’t have occurred at a time when we needed it more,” said Mills.
According to Mills, the Thrive CC kicked their efforts into gear in the fall of 2022, when the need in Martin County became apparent. Before that time, the organization was known as the Dream Community Coalition, which was birthed in 2016. Although the group had moderate success with their efforts to assist those in addiction recovery, there needed to be a collaborative effort of many groups to maximize their success.
“We had a lot of groups and organizations concentrating on different angles of assistance, but we realized quickly that although we still needed everyone to do their specific parts, we all had to come together and work hand in hand toward a common goal,” said Mills. “That’s when the Thrive Community Coalition was formed and became a nonprofit.”
Mills, who previously worked with Addiction Recovery Care, knows that without peer support and mentoring, the chance of a recovering addict relapsing to their old lifestyle is much greater than those with guidance, encouragement and someone there to hold them accountable.
“The need is greater than we realized,” explained Mills. “Their problems do not end with getting clean. They often struggle to find employment because they can’t pass a background check. They may not be able to qualify for public housing because of the same reason or even get a valid driver’s license because of information that continues to follow them throughout their life. One problem at a time, we help them overcome these issues so they can succeed.
“Many have little to no career training, while others may not have a GED and have no clue how to go about acquiring one. Without these basic essentials that most of us take for granted, those recovering and trying to climb out of the depths of poverty get overwhelmed. They lose hope. And when hope is lost, it’s easy for them to give up and return to their old habits. Thrive wants to prevent that from happening. We want to see each person that manages to overcome addiction to have opportunities to become a productive member of society and break those bonds.”
The half-million-dollar grant will largely be used for staffing peer mentors and life managers. Those people will walk each step of the way with those recovering. Many of those hired will be individuals who overcome that lifestyle themselves, can relate to what those in transition are going through, and fully understand their adversities.
“We all know that a person coming out of addiction therapy that has a solid, family support system in place, a safe and clean home to go to, transportation to get them back and forth to seek employment and to continuing counseling stand a much greater chance of succeeding in their efforts to reclaim their lives,” stated Mills. “It’s the individuals who have nowhere to live, no transportation and most importantly, no support system in place that struggle to overcome. That’s where we come in…We bridge that gap and offer a hand up. But let me make it clear that it’s not a handout.”
Two of the greatest needs Mills and his organization see are temporary housing and temporary transportation. Mills remarked that there is a definite shortage of public housing available in the county, so working with private owners of rental property is something the group has done and will continue to do. Temporary transportation may fall under ride-sharing, assistance with the cost of fuel, or utilizing some public transportation or taxi service.
“There’s much to be done for those on their journey to recovery in Martin County, but we are on the right path. We have some great people involved, and groups that truly care about the lives of those who are struggling, and this grant couldn’t have come at a greater time,” said Mills. “We will be able to employ a greater number of mentors to assist those who are beginning the journey to a new life.”
Martin County Attorney Melissa Phelps applauds Thrive for past successes. She believes better days are ahead.
“It makes all the difference in the world when someone recovering has a mentor to provide not only guidance and encouragement but to hold them accountable for their actions,” remarked Phelps. “Most of these mentors have walked in their shoes themselves and know the outfalls they face and what must be done to avoid them. I’m ecstatic that the Thrive Community Coalition was awarded the ARC grant, and I’m very excited to see what it means for our county.”