The Healing Place celebrated a $29 million expansion on Tuesday with a ribbon cutting and a tour of the new building.
The expansion adds nearly 200 beds to the men’s facility downtown, including 22 detox beds for the most critical clients and 60 beds for homeless and addicted veterans.
“I came back to life and I'm seeing guys come back to life, as well,” said Robbie Smith.
Smith started the program and May and became a peer mentor at the start of 2019.
“It totally helps in my recovery. It fills a void that I was missing,” he explained.
He’s happy to see more healing happening in the halls and recovery occurring in the rooms. The Healing Place, for many in recovery, is a place where hope is found.
In 2018, the Healing Place in downtown Louisville had to turn away more than 200 men a month because there wasn’t enough space.
“I said if they tell me they didn't have enough room for me then I'm going back to Chicago where I know I'll pick up right where I left off,” said Immanuel Guest.
Guest ultimately got a room and is now he's celebrating nine months of sobriety thanks to the a helping hand from the Healing place that will now extend to so many more.
“There's so much room in this building for more people so they don't have to turn anyone away that need help,” said Guest.
“When I got here it was just one building. This whole section was under construction. And so, I've grown along with the building 50:13
Altogether, the Healing Place downtown will be able to help 426 men at once. It helps close to a thousand men and women a day across its three facilities in Kentucky.