According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 20.7 million women aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder. A common issue for women in recovery is finding stable housing for both themselves and their children.
That’s where Heart Rock Justus Family Recovery Center comes in.
Heart Rock Recovery Center is a holistic sober living community in the heart of Indianapolis for pregnant and parenting women ages 18 and older recovering from substance use disorder or dual diagnosis. Unlike most recovery centers, Heart Rock Recovery allows mothers of children under the age of 2 to live together with their children during their stay at the sober living community.
Compared to a treatment center, women who come to Heart Rock Recovery have already gone through some form of detoxification and treatment.
Housing Comes First
The center is a subsidiary of Overdose Lifeline, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals, families and communities affected by the disease of substance use disorder. Heart Rock Recovery provides 12 to 18 months of affordable housing to pregnant and parenting women recovering from substance use; mental health services, including individual and group therapy; training and education on vocational skills and financial literacy; and holistic wellness, such as nutritional counseling.
“The first and foremost thing we provide is stable and safe housing,” says Justin Phillips, CEO of Overdose Lifeline. “Oftentimes women, especially those who are seeking recovery from substance use disorder, have unstable housing, either through the current situation they’re living in, potentially there is domestic violence involved, or they’re homeless. Women come to us and are not required to have any financial means. We house them for free for at least 90 days, using grant dollars and donor dollars to help offset those costs. We don’t require money from the women or children.”
Room for Moms and Their Babies
A unique component that most recovery centers don’t have, but Heart Rock Recovery does, is children. Women are welcome to bring their children if they’re 2 years old or younger, and Heart Rock will support them, too.
“We know that women have to choose sometimes between recovery housing and their children, which is why we allow them to bring their children,” Phillips says. “After housing stability, we offer them therapeutic support. We have an in-house occupational therapist who works with the women on their postpartum depression and trauma. We outsource their addiction recovery, therapeutic support and medical support with partners in the community who treat this population specifically. We require structure and discipline, and regular drug screening to help our women find the way to recovery.”
To date, Heart Rock Recovery has served 70 women and 36 children.
Women oftentimes learn about Heart Rock through connections at the Department of Correction, Community Corrections, probation officers and word of mouth.
“There’s nowhere else for anyone to go with their children to live in recovery-supported housing,” Phillips says. “So we consistently have a waitlist.”
Related Article: Baby Blues or Something More?
How to Help
Overdose Lifeline was founded in 2014 following the death of Phillips’ youngest son, Aaron, due to a heroin overdose. Heart Rock Justus Family Recovery Center was founded in 2022 as a subsidiary of Overdose Lifeline. Donations can be made online at heartrockrecovery.org/donate.
