Freedom House prepares to reach milestone for moms in recovery
By Hayden Ristevski
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A local drug and alcohol recovery program has received some national recognition for its work to change the lives of new moms and their babies.
Freedom House is a residential treatment program that helps expecting and new moms become healthy and sober. It's a Volunteers of America Mid-States program, and the goal is to help moms heal, deliver a healthy baby and keep families together.
One Freedom House resident, who preferred to just go by Veronica, has struggled with substance abuse for years. But now, pregnant with her third child, she's making a change.
"It started off as opiates and then I went to meth,” she said. "It's time to get my life together. Enough is enough."
She could be the lucky mom to give birth to a milestone for a local drug treatment program. Her baby boy could be the 200th healthy baby born at Freedom House.
"I'm ready for him to get here, because I want to see him, and I want to see if he's going to look like me or his daddy,” Veronica said.
The program has helped hundreds of women get healthy and re-connect with their families.
"It is so impactful," said Tiffany Cole Hall, the chief operating officer of VOA Mid-States said. “It's so life-changing to them and really to the trajectory of their lives and their child's life."
Pregnant and parenting moms move in to one of two locations in Louisville. They live there for about six months dedicating their time to a rigorous treatment program in a supportive atmosphere. The American Society of Addiction Medicine recently gave the program a certification for its level of care.
"We were one of seven in the nation, which is a pretty big deal," Cole Hall said. "We're pretty excited about that."
To the people who live and work there, Freedom House is a life-changing experience
"We, I think, offer the kind of support that is really personal and that helps love them back to life,” Cole Hall said.
They're giving women like Veronica and their children new hope for a better future and a healthy life together.
“You have more to life,” she said. “There's more to life than just getting high."
