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Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a transition group home in Leesburg for LITE Recovery during a Tuesday, Aug. 11 meeting.
LITE (Living in Transition Effectively) is a nonprofit organization "dedicated to walking alongside individuals on their journey to recovery, healing, and successful reentry into the community," according to LITE's website.
Tammy Cotton, LITE Recovery's founder and executive director, alongside over a dozen supporters, attended the meeting to present a petition for an exception to allow the home in a residential district. The property, located at 107 E. Prairie St., would serve as a transition home for up to six women. LITE Recovery is headquartered in Milford, with Cotton stating Leesburg's home would be the next step for participants after residing at the LITE Recovery home in Milford.
"So, women who have completed the recovery program, which is about a year long, the transitional program is the next step for them," said Cotton. "One of the biggest barriers for anyone in recovery is housing. Financially, a lot of the individuals we serve have a poor background and a lot of landlords will not rent to them."
Cotton told the board all residents are required to be members of the LITE Recovery Café. They must also have a peer recovery coach and follow house rules. LITE also met with Leesburg Town Council on three occasions to discuss the proposal, with council members submitting letters and attending the BZA meeting in support of the petition.
Cotton recognized some letters of opposition the board received and emphasized a lot of time is invested into who is a good fit for the program and that the home is not intended to serve as a permanent residence for participants. She also said LITE partners with multiple recovery programs in order to help reduce recidivism.
"Our goal is to help women become independent, responsible, and successful members of the community," said Cotton. "We believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to recover. Everyone deserves the chance to rebuild their life in a safe, structured environment and this home represents that opportunity. This request is not about changing the character of a neighborhood. It is about changing the trajectory of lives. A well-managed transition home does not diminish a community. It reflects a community that believes in accountability, second chances, and the value of helping people become healthy, productive members."
Tyler Bauer, who owns 107 E. Prairie St., attended the meeting in support of the petition and said he felt comfortable renting the house to LITE Recovery. Additional attendees who spoke in favor of the petition included Leesburg Town Council member Tom Moore, Daniel Guzman, Suzette Clayton, November Kelly, Rebecca Royce and Karina Wilkinson.
Guzman said LITE Recovery has a "lot of accountability" and referred to it as "a great organization that gives lots of support." Kelly said he's volunteered and partnered with LITE and fully supports having a transition home in Leesburg.
Wilkinson said her interactions with LITE have been very positive. She brought a letter to the board from Milford Town Marshal Ben Sanders in support of what LITE is doing in Milford.
"My mom, who's 80, she volunteers as a cook at LITE," said Wilkinson. "She absolutely loves it. They treat her as a grandma, and I would trust them with my mom. If you have reservations of bringing 'those people' to your community, let me tell you. I would much rather have addicts in recovery than in active use. I only have the highest recommendation for you to consider this."
Three letters in opposition to the petition were presented to the board, with an additional letter from Dave Holsclaw asking questions about the proposal. Cotton brought up again that LITE attended multiple Leesburg council meetings and that Holsclaw was not in attendance at those meetings. She also re-emphasized that the home would not house women who have just been released from incarceration and that a house manager would be present on a daily basis.
"The number and nature of police calls, emergency responses, fights, disturbances, neighborhood complaints, ordinance violations: zero," said Cotton about LITE's Milford recovery home. "In three years, we've had zero. In fact, Ben Sanders from the Milford Police pops in every now and then. Yesterday, he brought us a gift card to support our back-to-school bash we just had. I see and network with police from every city in Kosciusko County on a monthly basis. We are a certified recovery community organization; that's a designation through the state of Indiana."
"This is not some experimental program," said BZA Chairman Lee Harman. "There's a track record here with this organization for success and that weighs very heavily to me."
After approving LITE's petition, the board was met with applause from the crowd.
