Brianna’s Hope expands reach

INDIANAPOLIS — A local organization’s extension into the Indianapolis area may be a step toward expanded addiction recovery resources across the region.

Meetings for A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope are extending to Warren Township in Marion County at the new Moorhead Community Resource Center, a one-stop location for community members seeking services, starting Friday.

This will be the first Marion County chapter for Brianna’s Hope, the support group that started in 2014 after the death of Brianna DiBattiste and has grown into a non-profit organization with 36 chapters across Indiana and four chapters in Ohio.

The new facility is located in the former Moorhead Elementary School at 8400 E. 10th. St., Indianapolis. It will include the following services: mental health counseling, support for homeless students and families, substance abuse education and support groups, mentoring services, registration assistance for health insurance, tutoring services, minority support services, healthy relationships education, nutritional education, guidance to achieve a GED diploma, food and clothing pantry services, foster care support and spiritual guidance.

Brianna’s Hope president Markus Dennis sees this as the beginning of multiple resource centers across Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Brianna’s Hope founder and executive director Randy Davis explained there aren’t any solidified plans as of yet for a resource center in Jay County, but the possibility is there. The organization is looking into joining other centers around the state.

“It will help us create a greater awareness, and I think it will almost be a trickle down effect to where, if it’s working there, the possibilities are, it can work here,” Davis said.

A similar facility in Jay County would be beneficial to local residents, Brianna’s Hope administrative assistant and board treasurer Gina Raines added.

“If we could get a resource center like this in Jay County, the residents are going to be able to go there for anything,” Raines said. “They’re not going to have to wonder, ‘Where do I go for this?’”

Courtney Modisette, Moorhead Community Resource Center program director, visited a Brianna’s Hope meeting in Greenville, Ohio, with her mother about a year and a half ago.

She loved how the group dynamic was different from Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, with more attendees being understanding and accepting, she said. That prompted her to ask Brianna’s Hope to join the Indianapolis resource center as its sole substance abuse support group.

Moorhead Community Resource Center will host a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Friday to be followed with an open house through 3 p.m. The center will also host a drive-thru “Trunk-or-Treat” and food distribution from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. that same day.

Raines explained that the centralized location will make it easier for residents in Warren Township and surrounding areas to find the services they need.

“The more agencies you can put under one roof, the easier it’s going to be to access those resources,” she said.

The new facility is one of two resource centers in the state aimed at serving students and parents in the community. Plans to make the facility a reality lasted nearly seven years, with about $2 million poured into the project from federal grants and the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Although the center is aimed at families involved in Warren Township schools, anyone is welcome to visit for services, Modisette added.

Following the open house Friday, Moorhead Community Resource Center will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Each group will have designated time slots for when they will be in the building. Brianna’s Hope will meet Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Community members seeking help will be able to get multiple services as needed. For example, Modisette explained, if a mother calls a Warren township school about getting a job, the center will be there to provide that service as well as evaluating other needs.

“When somebody comes into our community center, we’re going to look at the whole picture,” she said. “So, is the mom not getting a job because of substance abuse? Or mental health issues? Or is there something else they need? It’s just, we are going to evaluate the whole family system to figure out exactly what all support they need.”