More than 11,000 people in McLean County are believed to have a substance use disorder. They’re also not receiving sufficient care. This is all according to a 2022 report from consultant group TriWest, which assessed the county’s crisis care systems.
McLean County Center for Human Services — recognizing the need for more resources — launched A New Horizon, which is a recovery community center located at 530 N. Center St., next to Behavioral Health Urgent Care.
A New Horizon’s focus is on peer support. This means the people who work there and are leading discussions have lived experience with substance use disorder.
Center for Human Services CEO Joan Hartman said peer support was determined to be a care gap in and of itself. She said there are essentially only 12-step programs in the area, which are not always favored.
“If it's not your pathway to recovery, there's really no support once you leave treatment, and you're just kind of on your own,” she said. “So what this community center does then, is [it] creates a place for people to be able to have ongoing support.”
The recovery community center can then “sustain their recovery long term,” Hartman added.
But it’s not a clinical program. There are no counselors or therapists.
“It's more skill development, and the ability to talk with someone who has lived experience, who can help them to figure out coping skills, develop their recovery plan so that they can address their needs,” Hartman said.
There is currently one peer support specialist and two interns. The center is looking for a second specialist and additional interns.
Amanda Spencer is an intern. She said she’s most looking forward to meeting participants and “giving them hope that recovery is possible.”
On the center, Spencer said a theme will likely be connection.
“People who have substance use disorder often feel very isolated, and so having a peer recovery center is going to just give them an opportunity to make connections, which, in my opinion, the opposite of addiction is connection,” she explained.
Where the recovery center can’t help program participants, Hartman said the goal is to point them to resources in the community. If a participant needs a therapist, she said, they’ll find one that can help.
Hartman said she anticipates the recovery community center will serve 200 people in its first year, and that number goes beyond people with substance use disorders.
“We're not only serving people who are in recovery, we're also serving their allies and their family members,” she said. “And those family members can come with or without their person.”
Recovery Center Coordinator Katrina Buie said there can often be a disconnect between families and people with substance use disorders.
“Sometimes family don't necessarily know how to support their loved one that's struggling, so again, it's our hope that we can you know, change the dynamics of that,” she said.
Within the space, there are two offices for staff. There’s also a common area with a kitchen that will mainly be used for education, a library (pending books), a room for group sessions, and a lobby with comfier chairs and a faux fireplace. Hartman said the lobby is meant to be a gathering space, as opposed to a service area.
“We wanted to make it as homey as possible,” she explained.
Services are going to vary.
“Our groups are going to be fluid because we want to offer groups to whatever the need is,” Hartman said.
Once A New Horizon gets participants, she said they can start catering group sessions to clients, for example. There will be an advisory group that helps determine what these might be. Pre-determined groups will be on topics like wellness.
Hartman stressed that it's not meant to be a drop-in center. The primary goal is not socialization.
"It's designed for people to come in and get the help that they need, but really have support outside of this program too, so that they don't necessarily need to come and just hang out with us all day," she said.
Buie said ultimately, she hopes A New Horizon will “make change, to take the stigma off of substance use disorder and make a positive impact in the community.”
People seeking A New Horizon can go straight to the location at 530 N. Center St., or call the Center for Human Services at 309-827-5351 to get connected with staff there.
