Anchored Ministries offers free female-only drug treatment facility

You might say that Anchored Ministries, a faith-based drug and alcohol addiction treatment program for women, is running on faith.

The program is completely free to participants and receives no government funding.

“We rely completely on donations. We are reaching out right now to different churches in the community trying to get some community support. Several people have started tithing there that helps,” said Anchored Ministry President Michael Moses.

“We fund raise on Friday and Saturday. We offer like a craft for a donation that has been paying the bills so far.”

Anchored Ministries opened in July and is a 12-month faith-based recovery center for women.

Anchored Ministries is a non-profit organization, and that is located in the old Paul Steely Ford building near Exit 11 in Williamsburg.

The upstairs portion of the building serves as a dormitory, and the downstairs is used as a sanctuary and for classes.

“Most of these women are in active addiction when they come in. We house, feed and clothe them for free for up to one year,” said Moses, who was one of the keynote speakers at the Whitley County UNITE Coalition meeting Monday afternoon.

The program is a work-study program that involves biblical classes, biblical counseling and so forth during the first part of the day, and work details at local churches or around the center later in the day.

“It is just trying to instill the work ethic back in them and help them to become productive citizens again,” Moses noted.

The ministry currently has nine clients it is housing, but can accommodate up to 40 women.

“We have beds open and available. We are trying to spread the word and get some more people in,” Moses said. “The beds are available. A lot of people just don’t know about us.”

Moses said there is no timetable for expansion. At first the ministry started in a smaller building that could house only 12 women, and now it is located in a building that will house up to 40 women.

“Eventually, we would like to expand to a men’s center,” he added.

Moses said that women, who need addiction treatment, or those, who know a woman that needs treatment, can contact intake coordinator Sarah Paul at (606) 765-7333, e-mail the organization anchoredministriescorp@gmail.com, or check out the group’s Facebook page at anchoredministries17.

In other business during Monday’s UNITE Coalition meeting, the coalition discussed a new substance abuse help line program “Don’t Let Them Die,” that was started by Gov. Matt Bevin’s office.

The program provides information about opioids, treatment options and the overdose antidote Naloxone.

The program can be contacted by calling 1-833-8KY-HELP or 1-833-859-4357.

In addition, the coalition announced its meeting scheduled for 2018.

Quarterly meetings are slated for Jan. 15, April 16, July 16 and Oct. 15 and are tentatively scheduled for noon at the Whitley County Health Department in Williamsburg.