Evansville Diversion Center to keep those battling addiction out of jail finally opens

EVANSVILLE — It's been about a decade in the making, but Wednesday morning the doors officially opened to the Evansville Diversion Center.

The four-bed facility is housed at United Caring Services, one of the city's homeless outreach organizations. Va Kun, the new executive director at UCS, told the Courier & Press the center will start with daytime-only service, running Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Estimates throughout the funding process claimed the service will likely help around 250 people a year. It will help homeless individuals battling addiction, give them a temporary place to stay, and then connect them with healthcare options.

Kun spoke to a crowd of people gathered outside the center for its ribbon cutting and thanked them all for their support of the long-awaited project.

"Homelessness is a profoundly complex social problem," she said. "Your presence here this morning sends a message of love and compassion."

Maggie Taylor, UCS's new director of recuperative care, spoke Tuesday about the reason behind the diversion center.

She said research shows that around 1/3 of individuals experiencing homelessness have issues with alcohol or drugs, and around 2/3 of those people have dealt with those issues for their whole life.

"These numbers are staggering and are why the diversion center is being put into place," Taylor said.

Taylor said the center will offer those experiencing a crisis a place to calm down that offers "compassion, awareness and understanding." After their time at the diversion center the individuals will be connected with behavioral health or other resources they need.

Last week, a guest at UCS was brought into the diversion center prior to its opening, Taylor said.

"He was dealing with addiction," she said. "He was hopeless, discouraged and ashamed."

While he was in the diversion center, the staff was able to contact Brentwood and get him connected to services that same day, she said.

"I long for (this program) to be a beacon of light for anyone and everyone who steps foot into this facility in search of guidance and healing," Taylor said. "I wholeheartedly believe everyone is deserving of happiness and peace, no matter what their life looks like."

The path to Evansville's Diversion Center

Supporters of the diversion center waited a long time for Wednesday morning.

The idea for the facility came about in 2016 as an alternative option for people dealing with mental health crises or substance abuse issues who might end up in the Vanderburgh County jail or a local emergency room.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed funding and kept the facility from opening, despite the completion of renovations in early 2020.

Money started to come in 2022, with $300,000 approved by the Evansville City Council from its American Rescue Plan allotment. The same amount of granted from the Vanderburgh County Council earlier this year.

The facility has an estimated annual operating cost of $341,000 while open four days per week.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Here's how Evansville Diversion Center will keep people out of jail