A new community center focused on providing recovery resources for people with substance use disorders and their loved ones opened its doors in Murray on Thursday.
The space, operated by Volunteers of America Mid-States, will serve as a sober gathering space – hosting meetings, programs and events geared toward people in recovery and those supporting their long-term journeys. The center will also help connect people with recovery resources as well as information on employment, housing, vocational training and behavioral and mental health care.
The idea for the project arose three years ago when Murray’s city council formed an opioid working group to determine the best way to spend its share of funds stemming from Kentucky’s settlement money it received from lawsuits with national and regional opioid manufacturers and distributors. The Bluegrass State is slated to get over $980 million from these settlements – half of which will be distributed to local governments through 2038.
City council member Bonnie Higginson, a member of this working group, said after meeting with experts and stakeholders, the committee determined that the biggest gap in the Calloway County city’s strategy to address substance abuse issues was the lack of a recovery community center. She said Thursday’s grand opening was the result of years of work from community partners.
“Today, we have this beautifully renovated facility that will serve people who need assistance and support. This is a place for positive growth. It is a place for friendship. It is a place for healing,” Higginson said.
Murray’s city council approved a proposal from VOA last year to run such a facility, and agreed to provide the group with $100,000 per year to help with operating costs. VOA rented space from First Baptist Church of Murray and renovated the downtown building to house meeting spaces and offices.
Maria Thompson is the senior program manager at VOA Mid-States who oversees the organization’s resource community centers, also called RCCs. She said as a person in recovery, she understands the challenges that come with addressing substance use-related disorders – and how people who are on the same journey can help those looking for recovery options.
“RCCs are more than just a resource. They become a lifeline. They provide a safe and welcoming space where people can feel seen, valued and understood without judgment,” Thompson said. “Within the walls behind us, individuals will begin to rediscover their sense of belonging, rebuild their own self worth and create a community of support that reminds them they are not alone.”
Thompson said the center plans to host monthly events open to the community – like Super Bowl parties, Fourth of July barbecues and Thanksgiving celebrations – that will provide sober environments for people to gather and build a social network.
Some of the center’s goals, Thompson said, include planning regular activities and education to support people in recovery; providing transportation for participants to access recovery-related activities; working with people with lived experiences with addiction to provide peer support for others battling substance use disorder; and working with community partners to conduct outreach to marginalized communities.
This is the fifth recovery community center that VOA Mid-States has opened in Kentucky, and its first in the western portion of the state.
