Emerge organizers seek support at community breakfast

‘Algorithm of Recovery’ outlined for community leaders in what will be the first program of its kind in the nation

XENIA — Dozens of area business leaders and local political and spiritual leaders converged at the Emerge Center here Friday morning for a community breakfast in which organizers gave updates on progress being made in transforming the former Greene County Career Center property into the first recovery program of its kind in the nation.

Kip Morris, one of the three founders of the Emerge Recovery & Trades Initiative, was the first organizer to speak at the breakfast. He emphasized the need for community support in launching the program, which will temporarily house up to 200 men and women in recovery beginning as early as July of this year in addition to young adults aging out of the state’s foster care system. The property, which is located at 2960 W. Enon Road in Xenia Township, currently houses several area businesses and non-profit organizations. With additional business operations slated to move here in the coming months, organizers are still encouraging others to consider joining them.

“The community is going to play such a huge part of what we’re doing so we want you all to see how things are progressing,” Morris told those who came out for the free breakfast. “Without the community’s support, what we’re doing here isn’t going to work.”

Morris is the CEO of Five Star Heating & Cooling Group. His partners are Chris Adams, who owns Narrow Path Plumbing, and Doug Van Dyke, who owns Van Martin Roofing; all three men live locally and are all in long-term recovery.

“We are second-chance employers who give people opportunities they wouldn’t likely get elsewhere,” Morris said. “The ecosystem we are building here at Emerge is one where we are going to be able to do this on a grand scale.” 

Currently, Emerge is building and strengthening relationships with several area treatment facilities and recovery-based programs that offer the in-patient care that’s often necessary prior to moving to a long-term facility.

“Once they are ready, they can come here and we are going to offer something we call ‘transformational housing,’” Morris said. “They will be able to live here temporarily and have access to all the services we will provide such as counseling and therapy. They can learn important life skills they didn’t learn because of their addiction and we can teach them a skilled trade so they can leave with a full-time career.”

As second-chance employers, Morris said they’ve had a success rate of 75 percent among the people they’ve hired over the years in early recovery — a success rate that’s exceptionally high. The reason for this success, they said, is because they offer something that’s usually missing when people attempt to live in long-term recovery. 

“A huge missing piece of the puzzle going into longterm recovery is having a career path, and a viable career path with a sustainable income,” Morris said. “That’s one of the things we are going to offer here in a very big way that makes us unique.”

In addition to people in recovery, Emerge organizers said they will help another segment of the population that has been underserved. Young men (and eventually young women) who are aging out of the state’s foster care system are given state benefits that they often lose because they usually lack the necessary life skills to keep them.  “Once they lose these benefits, it’s extremely tough to get them back,” Morris said. 

Currently operating out of Emerge there is a fire suppression company in addition to multiple heating and cooling companies and plumbing companies. There is a fully operational call center in the main building, which continues to grow every week, and they have immediate plans to bring in a digital marketing company with a digital marketing school.

Despite this, organizers say there is still plenty of room on the 48-acre campus for many more area businesses and non-profit organizations and they encourage anyone interested to contact them right away for low-cost rent.

“In order to locate a business or company here, you have to at least offer internships for people coming out of our program,” Morris said. “We also need people like yourselves who are willing to come in and mentor and disciple people. Then we also need you all to come alongside us in prayer. If we don’t bathe this thing in prayer, we don’t stand a chance.”

Additionally, Morris said they are looking for people who know how to cook and who can teach cooking and other life skills often lacking among people who have stunted their development due to substance abuse disorders. 

“We only have them here for six months to a year and we can’t do it by ourselves,” Morris said. “If you own a business and maybe want to become a second-chance employer, I am definitely interested in talking to you. We also have areas that will be shared office spaces for people who work from home. We are opening a diner, a coffee store, and a restaurant here.”

Organizers said they are also accepting donations to pay for building materials and other costs as the build-out for the living areas is expected this spring. 

Greg Delaney, a local pastor who has worked with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office on statewide recovery initiatives, is serving as Director of Recovery Services at Emerge.

“What we hope to do here at Emerge is not being done anywhere else in the country,” Delaney said. “I’ve been to Washington D.C. and 40 different U.S. states and I can say unequivocally what’s happening here isn’t happening anywhere else.”

Delaney said Emerge will offer much more than transitional housing. He emphasized the dire need for community involvement as well.

“The opposite of addiction isn’t recovery,” he said. “The opposite of addiction is connection. We encourage you to become a part of our team because you all have had life experiences that our clients will desperately need at some point in their recovery. We see this as a gathering place to mend fences and bring healing for deep-rooted traumas. It’s a transformational opportunity for everyone.”

Jeff Sorrell, Executive Director of the Emerge Center, said they are hoping to open the men’s side of the recovery program in July. He said they had architects submit drawings to Greene County officials and they are waiting for final approval to move forward.

“It takes a community to provide all the services that people in recovery need,” Sorrell said. “If we don’t have the community come alongside us, this isn’t going to work. Please spread the word. Tell people what’s going on here.”