New searchable website will help people in recovery find housing

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), housed in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, recently launched a new resource for people with substance use disorder (SUD), FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org. It’s a free, searchable website that generates an individualized list of Kentucky recovery houses with immediate openings.

Yesterday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joined other state and community leaders and KIPRC representatives to officially announce the launch of the website.

“Our job is to provide help, hope and a hand to lead people out of the darkness of addiction and into the light — of acceptance, opportunity and community,” said Gov. Beshear. “Recovery housing is an integral part of this process. This website will allow those on their journey to recovery to access valuable resources faster than ever before.”

People who visit the site can confidentially locate safe, affordable recovery housing openings based on their needs and personal situation. Users can narrow their search by location, rent amount, amenities, services, residence requirements, transportation options and more. FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org is an unparalleled digital resource for SUD treatment facilities, parole and probation officers, people who have completed inpatient SUD treatment or are re-entering the community after incarceration, as well as the general public.

“For many individuals, this website will play a critical role in their recovery journey,” said Terry Bunn, Ph.D., director of KIPRC and professor of preventive medicine and environmental health in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. “Now, people will easily have the information they need to contact recovery houses with openings. Entry into a recovery home with associated services helps to build recovery capital necessary to achieve and maintain long-term recovery from SUD.”

FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org is modeled after FindHelpNowKY.org, which was also developed by KIPRC. FindHelpNowKY.org is an online search engine that generates individualized lists of SUD treatment centers with the current availability. FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org is the next step in the continuum of care that helps people find suitable housing to sustain their recovery once they have initiated SUD treatment.

The recovery search engine offers benefits for housing managers in addition to those seeking SUD recovery. The Recovery Management System, or RMS, is for recovery house owners and operators to be able to track bed usage, resident information (including successes) and additional house operations. The system tracks information related to residents from their arrival at the home until departure. The RMS will be an ever-evolving system, based upon the needs of the recovery house owners, operators and, most importantly, their residents.

The Certification Module is another tool for recovery house operators. It will allow recovery house owners to use FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org to apply for National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) certification through the Kentucky Recovery Housing Network (KRHN), Kentucky’s NARR state affiliate. The original process included sending large amounts of documentation back and forth through the mail; the certification module allows for electronic document submission that makes the process much easier and faster for everyone involved.

FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and produced by KIPRC, the bona fide agent of the Kentucky Department for Public Health. In addition to being the result of a dynamic collaboration between the CDC and KIPRC, FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org wouldn’t be possible without the following contributing partners: the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Kentucky Recovery Housing Network, Get Help, and the Fletcher Group.

KIPRC, established in 1994, is a unique partnership between the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) and the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. KIPRC serves both as an academic injury prevention research center and as the KDPH’s designee or “bona fide agent” for statewide injury prevention and control, focusing on injury prevention translation and practice.