Jamika and Kara live at Freedom House in Louisville. They are preparing for a sober, brighter future for their babies with shared due dates of March 19.
A letter from Jennifer
Dear Friend,
It’s an exciting time of growth and progress at Volunteers of America Mid-States. I’m proud to share the many ways we’re expanding our reach and helping more individuals and families get the care and resources they need to thrive.
This issue of Inspire is all about breaking ground, growing capacity, and hitting milestones.
Freedom House, our nationally-recognized program to help pregnant and parenting women overcome substance use disorder, is growing on multiple fronts across Kentucky. Freedom House in Clay County is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and an expansion is now under construction. Construction will begin soon on the Freedom House in Stanford, and it will be part of a hub that consolidates offerings like Family Recovery Court, the Family Connections Program, the Recovery Community Center, and the Recovery Reintegration Program. A Freedom House in Owensboro will begin serving families in early 2026, and plans are moving ahead for the Freedom House in Covington.
In January, we officially broke ground on Monarch Station, our new affordable housing complex in Louisville. And we continue to make strides in the development of our Community Care Campus in Louisville, which will be a centralized hub of support for families facing housing crises.
As always, we’re grateful for your generosity and support. None of this life-changing work would be possible without you.
Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO
Restorative Justice
Restorative Justice (RJ) services are in the following counties: Jefferson, Hardin, Bullitt, Fayette, Scott, Madison, Clark, Jessamine, Franklin, Rockcastle, Jackson, Pulaski, Laurel, Clay, Leslie, McCreary, Whitley, Knox, Warren, and Christian.
RJ provides a holistic and comprehensive approach to the traditional criminal justice system by bringing together the offender, victim, and community to make things right. Through facilitated conferences, parties collectively identify the harm and determine a solution-based resolution.
Since July, we have received 148 referrals for RJ projects. We are working on hiring for the expansion in our Alternative to Detention project in Henderson, Warren, Boyd, Pulaski, and Graves counties.
News Briefs
BREAKING GROUND ON FUTURE HOMES AND LIFE-CHANGING SUPPORT
On Jan. 22, VOA broke ground on Monarch Station, our new affordable housing complex in Louisville.
We were honored to be joined by Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman, Mayor Craig Greenberg, and business and community leaders to celebrate this milestone.
Monarch Station will be a combination of traditional affordable housing and permanent supportive housing, serving as an integrative housing model that’s one of the first of its kind in Louisville. Residents will have access to case management and on-site services to help them build stable futures.
Learn more and follow @voamid on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn for updates as we continue progress on this vital resource for our city!
KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH PLANS GIVES $1,500,000 TO STANFORD FREEDOM HOUSE
Thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Kentucky Association of Health Plans (KAHP), we’ve made significant progress in the expansion of our nationally recognized recovery program for pregnant and parenting women in Lincoln County.
With KAHP’s support, we’ve brought Branscum Construction Company, Inc. onto the project to demolish the old Fort Logan Hospital and transform the property into a welcoming facility that will provide hope and healing to women and families impacted by substance use disorder.
Special thanks to our community and state leaders who joined us for this special announcement, including Lincoln County Judge/Executive Woods Adams,
Stanford Mayor Dalton Miller, Kentucky Sen. Brandon J. Storm, and Rep. David Meade.
We’re honored to continue serving Stanford and working together to support families and change lives.
IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING DEMAND FOR OUR SERVICES…
WE’RE EXPANDING FREEDOM HOUSE TO HELP MORE FAMILIES
Burning Springs, KY
- This project will include an administration building and additional boarding space.
- The construction project has been awarded to Branscum Construction and Outdoor Venture Corporation
- Construction started on December 6, 2024
- Serving more families by approximately December 2025
Owensboro, KY
- Nov. 22, 2024: Project awarded to O’Bryan Construction
- January 2025: Construction began
- Serving more families by approximately March 2026
- We will serve 28 families at a time with 12 residential clinical treatment beds and 24 intensive outpatient beds for pregnant and parenting mothers.
- We will have five transitional housing apartments.
Stanford, KY
- Project awarded to Branscum Construction
- Nov. 25, 2024: Master plan process started
- Dec. 27, 2024: Demolition began
- March 2025: Complete master plan and RFP for architect
- April 2025: Choose an architect and gather a schematic design
- July 2025: Complete schematic design
Covington, KY
- February 2025: Purchased property
- June 2025: Complete schematic design
VOA Voices
Janet Osborne
HR Manager at Highlands Diversified Services, Inc.
“Working with VOA has been a great experience. I think everybody deserves a second chance, and I am glad that I work for a company that is willing to give them.”
Janet Osborne is the HR Manager at Highlands Diversified Services, Inc., a full-service manufacturer and second-chance employer in London, Kentucky. Since learning of VOA’s Recovery Reintegration Program at a job fair in 2022, Janet has given career opportunities to many of the people we serve, offering them a fresh start at a hopeful, stable life.
Mayor Craig Greenberg
Louisville Metro Mayor
“I appreciate the work that VOA is doing to help provide emergency housing for people in our community experiencing homelessness, but they go beyond that by connecting people with the resources they need to be successful,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg. “VOA is a beacon of hope for people in their darkest hours. I can’t wait to open our Community Care Campus, which will serve even more people and families – setting them up for a lifetime of opportunity and stability.”
Since taking office, Mayor Craig Greenberg and his team at Louisville Metro Government have been committed to creating housing solutions for our city. They recognize the urgent and vital work VOA is accomplishing and continue to uplift our mission. Through our partnership on the Community Care Campus, we will provide innovative support and resources to unhoused families.
Bob Duane
President of Duane Realty and VOA Board Member
“Our entire community has a stake in addressing the rising homelessness issue that is affecting Louisville. After serving one year on the Board, I believe VOA has extremely good leadership and has a financially responsible, organized and common-sense approach to helping the homeless reintegrate into society, and I am happy to support VOA with my time and finances. I joined the Board to lend my construction and real estate experience to the new VOA communities in Louisville. It has been a great experience interacting with a group of energetic people with diverse talents that come together for a common purpose.”
Bob has built a successful career in real estate and is the President of Duane Realty. As a member of the Finance Committee, he oversees VOA’s finances. Bob gives his time and talent to strengthen our community.
Community Care Campus: A hub for vital resources
Throughout 2024, we celebrated major milestones in the development of Louisville’s Community Care Campus.
In Spring 2024, we worked with Mayor Craig Greenberg and community partners to develop and release a master site plan showcasing a vision for Louisvillians facing a housing crisis. We received critical funding from the Humana Foundation, the PNC Foundation and other community partners, helping us get closer to bringing this transformative project to life.
With funding from the PNC Foundation, in November we joined Mayor Greenberg to announce the opening of our temporary shelter, ensuring families in crisis have a safe, warm place to stay while they work toward stability.
Visit https://www.voamid.org/community-care-campus/ to learn more and stay updated as we continue progress on the campus.
Building foundations for stable, sober futures
On Feb. 12, Nichole, Dewayne, and Kendra took an important step in their journeys toward sober, hopeful futures and graduated from VOA’s Family Recovery Court (FRC) program.
This voluntary program supports families struggling with substance use disorder who are involved in the child welfare system. With guidance from our VOA team and Clay County Family Court Judge Clint Harris, the three graduates gained important tools to help them create stable, healthy lives for themselves and their families.
“VOA staff made me feel really welcome; they wanted to help me as much as I wanted to help me. Today, I have 20 months in continuous recovery,” said FRC graduate Dewayne. “This entire process has given me and my family hope, and we now have a future. I went from riding a 20” bicycle to just having purchased a truck! It’s not a brand new one, but it’s paid for and all ours.”
Currently, VOA FRC is changing lives in Clay, Jackson, Leslie, Lincoln, Pulaski, Rockcastle, and Hardin counties. Soon, we will expand the program to support families in Madison, Knox, Laurel, Christian, Hopkins, and Daviess counties.
HERE TO HELP. IT’S JUST WHAT WE DO.
Please join VOA in ending the cycle of addiction in the lives of mothers and their newborns, supporting families experiencing homelessness, and keeping young people out of the criminal justice system.
To find out more, reach out to
Senior Director of Fund Development
Amy Olson at AmyO@voamid.org or (502) 636-4633.