Drug Recovery Court looking to move to Hickory Valley Road location

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A resource for those recovering from drug addiction here in Hamilton County is likely to soon be on the move.

Hamilton County Recovery Court is a voluntary program is designed to help offenders deal with substance abuse issues.

This is offered to those with non-violent offenses.

Wednesday, a proposed move to where this program meets raised some questions.

The county’s director of property management, Mike Kirk, said, “We’ve looked at probably 11-12 different properties around town trying to find a space that would work for them and we think we’ve got an option that would work for them.”

The Recovery Court has been located inside the M-L-K Building on Oak Street in Downtown Chattanooga, just a block from the Hamilton County Courthouse.

However, they say the downtown location has its limitations.

The program’s director, Shannon Morgan, said, “We do need a space that is standalone. We have grown so much, we have about 90 participants now and we do in house treatments. So we have treatments all throughout the day. They’re with us all week long, and we are really bursting at the seams, and we need a space that is more individualized for them.”

However, the main concern brought up during the Commission meeting on Wednesday, was whether or not this location at the county’s East Annex on Hickory Valley Road would be inaccessible for many of the program’s participants. 

Commissioner David Sharpe said, “I mean, that’s a long way in the rain, for someone that is really struggling…I know we have to grab ourselves by the bootstraps, right?”

The nearest bus stops to the proposed East Annex location on Hickory Valley Road are along Highway 58 and at the Volkswagen Plant.

County officials say there are plans to address potential transportation issues, especially for the most vulnerable participants just starting the program.

David Roddy, the county’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “So the first two periods that they’re in the program is when we want to make the most options available to them. Which could represent anything from bus stops in the area, to passes in the CARTA Go program… Having a potential van set up through Drug Court itself with part-time driver employees.”

If approved next week by the county commission, the court could move as early as this summer.