KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Recovering from substance abuse is one of the most challenging and grueling processes anyone can go through. But it's also one of the most worthwhile, giving people another chance to live their lives.
A recovery program that helps mothers overcome addiction is building a new facility to provide affordable housing for them. The program is called Susannah's House and officials with it said that the new units will be for people working to get a second chance.
"I was dropped off by the police and haven't turned back since," said Tory Bryan, who started her journey to recovery in 2020. "It means so much to me that future moms will have somewhere to go and they won't be homeless and scared."
The program is a nonprofit that has an intensive outpatient recovery program to make sure mothers recover. Their new housing facility is a part of that mission, providing an affordable place to stay for as long as they need it.
While they're staying there, mothers will be expected to participate in a recovery program though. Their children will also be able to stay at the facility.
"It's called affordable permanent housing and they can stay as long as they need or want to, and they will also be in our program," said Rebekah Fetzer, the executive director of Susannah's House.
The organization also helps women who are pregnant. More than 1,000 babies are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome each year, according to Better Tennessee. The syndrome is when infants experience withdrawal after being born. It can happen if their mothers used opioids while pregnant with them.
"This is a dream come true for our whole organization," said Fetzer. "We, from the very beginning, wanted to build housing for homeless moms."
Funding for the housing units comes from a grant provided by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Officials with Susannah's House said they hope to start construction in around two months.