Recovery Café Offers Mental Health, Addiction Services in Hamilton County

By ALMA MASON

Noblesville Times

Recovery Café held its grand opening on Thursday at its location in Fishers. The event drew a small crowd, including government officials and others involved in the administration of the facility. Speakers included Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, Douglas Huntsinger from Governor Eric Holcomb’s Office, Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt and others.

The main goal of the Recovery Café is to create a community that offers support to people in all forms of recovery. This includes struggles with mental health, trauma, substance abuse and homelessness.

Membership to the Café is offered free of cost but with a few requirements. Individuals must be drug- and alcohol-free for 24 hours, attend a weekly recovery meeting and volunteer at the Café on a regular basis. In return, members are offered a safe, supportive environment that encourages recovery as well as nutritious meals and other resources to help in the recovery process. Recovery Café Hamilton County is currently equipped to have around 40 members at one time.

“We welcome people from all walks of life,” Executive Director Joylynn Foli says. “It doesn’t have to be that you’re recovering from substances or mental illness. It’s really anybody who wants to come and have a safe, loving place.”

Recovery Cafés have shown promising results. According to Foli, “Communities with Recovery Cafés see less emergency room visits and accidental overdoses.”

Additionally, when utilizing the resources the Recovery Café offers, “Ninety-five percent of individuals report an improvement in their wellbeing and mental health,” Foli said.

Recovery Café Hamilton County is one of 18 Recovery Cafés in the state, and more are set to open in the coming months.

“Indiana has more Recovery Cafés than any state in the country,” said Huntsinger, Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement for the state. “Indiana is a national leader when it comes to helping people enter and sustain recovery, and the work and expansion of our Cafés is a true testament to that model.”

Recovery Café Hamilton County is a non-profit organization that relies on donations offered by members of the community. For more information visit recoverycafehc.com