Owensboro Regional Recovery, like most organizations, have been deeply affected by the pandemic. Their number of residents dropped by more than 50%, and the loss of revenue forced officials to get creative with fundraising.
A year ago, the long-term drug and alcohol recovery center was able to house 108 residents at once. Now, there are 48 men living there, ORR Executive Director Sarah Adkins said Wednesday during a virtual meeting with Daviess County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly.
The number population initially dropped to 60 to create space for social distancing, but Adkins said there were other pandemic-related factors that led to an even further decline.
“People haven’t been reaching out for help as much,” Adkins said. “Also, court systems have not been as active during COVID, so we have a lot of reasons why our referrals have not been as robust as they were in the past.”
Adkins said ORR does take self-referrals from people off the street who want to attend.
Those interested can call the facility’s 24-hour phone line at 270-689-0905.
“We will do a screener over the phone. It takes about 10-15 minutes,” Adkins said.
Residents live at ORR for at least six months at a time. Aside from medical emergencies, most clients have not left the building since the pandemic began, Adkins said.
“Because of COVID, we’re not going to any AA or NA meetings in the community,” she said. “Hopefully, once we get past this pandemic, depending on how long they’ve been here, they will get certain privileges. They’ll be able to meet with family, go out in the community, they might get to visit with a sponsor.”
However, no one is “locked in” the facility, she said. Residents can leave at any time and don’t even have to let anyone know.
With the number of residents having dropped, so has revenue at ORR. All fundraising events and the facility’s catering service have been put on hold since the pandemic began.
ORR also had extra expenses — such as purchasing personal protective equipment and deep cleaning the property — that totaled an additional $50,000.
“The CARES Act money will help us make up some of that difference but it won’t put us ahead,” she said. “That’s just kind of helping us stay afloat.”
Adkins said ORR has gotten creative in coming up with new ways to raise money. They will hold a drive-thru breakfast fundraiser on March 27 from 8-11:30 a.m. at the facility. Breakfast burritos, muffins and coffee will be available.
“Just pull into our parking lot, order what you want, and you can take it home with you,” she said. “We hope everyone in the community will come out and support us.”
