Lack of Housing For Those Recovering From Substance Issues

Cookeville’s population is growing but that growth brings people being affected by substance abuse.

UCDD Executive Director Mark Farley said there is a lack of housing for people trying to transition out of recovery programs and into the work force. Farley said the pandemic makes this issue worse as places like the rescue mission become maxed out.

“What we’ve got to do as a region and as a community is find some avenues to help these individuals get on their feet,” Farley said. “The best way to do that is to work with groups and efforts that can put in some transitional housing.”

Farley said while housing and apartment development is growing, the options are not in someone coming out of recovery’s price range. Farley said he understands a public hesitation to put this housing in place, but finding the right location is achievable.

“Obviously, a lot of people don’t want those things in their backyard and we recognize that,” Farley said. “We’ve got to do a good job of finding the right location to where we can put some transitional housing where you would have a large farm house type situation, that might house 10 to 15 individuals.”

Farley said in the Cookeville area there are “at best” 2 to 3 transitional homes, some of those are tied to the drug court system. Farley said there are faith based groups doing this kind of work, but not everyone is being served.

“Transitional housing is also something we’re very lacking in when it comes to men,” Farely said. “Generally speaking we’ve got several faith based groups that are doing great work with women and children but the male population is one that’s not being served as well right now.”

Farley said this is an issue that becomes critical going into the winter. Farley said the mission is to maximize resources for people that could be trying to find stability in their life after leaving a recovery program.

“Nobody loves to see somebody out on the sidewalk, they don’t like to know individuals are staying in cars or under the overpasses,” Farley said. “We’ve got to be diligent to try and make sure that we’re maximizing all of our resources to ensure that these individuals have a safe and warm place to sleep at night.”

Farley said the lack of transitional housing is a growing problem, and he said the substance abuse issues are getting worse. Farley said the government has a part to play in a solution, but that they can’t solve the whole issue. Faith based organizations are where Farley sees a lot of potential.