Light of Truth Center Services Expansion

CONTACT

For more information about Light of Truth Center services and housing click here.

DETAILS

Owner | Light of Truth Center, Inc.

Contractor | Porter Buckley Construction Group

1933 West Lafayette

902 Wheeler Avenue

DESCRIPTION

The Light of Truth Center, Inc. (LTC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe and supportive housing in an environment conducive to recovery, transition, and restoration for women recovering from addictions. The Light of Truth Center facilitates education, empowerment, enlightenment, and healing for the women it serves. LTC strives to fill the gap in the provision of services and support for women in recovery from a holistic perspective particularly as it relates to safe and secure housing and short-term to long-term treatment services. LTC was founded in 1999 by Vaile Leonard. Through her own recovery experiences, she envisioned making a difference by providing something better to other women seeking recovery from addiction. LTC opened its doors to its first woman in 2000 with the capacity to serve six women.

In 2009 LTC acquired a 4,178 square foot building and embarked on a capital campaign to raise monies for renovations. Episcopal Housing provided development services for the renovation. With the help of community partners and committed volunteers, over $400,000 was raised and the Jefferson-Jones Center opened its doors in 2011. It now serves as a model of the power of relationships, partnerships, and collaboration. It also enabled LTC to more than double its residential capacity to support women in recovery. We went from serving an average of 13 residential women per year to the ability to serve an average of 30 residents per year. An additional property, adjacent to the Jefferson-Jones Center, was acquired in 2012 and serves as our administrative offices and offers outpatient services through our Training & Restoration Center.

Our residential program supports women who are homeless, transitioning from detox and/or who need additional help to solidify their recovery. The treatment component provides clinical services including groups, relapse prevention, conflict resolution, individual and mental health counseling. The Women’s Wholeness program provides a holistic approach to healing the whole woman – including finances, dressing-for-success, hair care, hygiene, cooking, personal growth and recreation and other topics of importance to women. LTC provides the housing, clinical, and supportive services to help each woman recover from active addiction. This holistic approach empowers women to develop a healthier lifestyle and a solid sustainable foundation so that she is fully restored to herself, family, community and the workforce.

The success of the Jefferson-Jones Center has revealed the need for additional capacity. LTC aims to address this need. We have noticed that there is a particularly great need for support among women who are newly sober, such as women who have recently completed detox programs or who are rejoining society after serving time in prison. There is a scarcity of treatment facilities available for women in Baltimore at this stage of recovery and LTC must often turn away women in need of services and housing.

The two new facilities at 1933 Lafayette Avenue and 902 Wheeler Avenue will provide housing for four women each and an on-site resident manager for a total of ten additional units. Support services will be offered on-site and through sister facilities nearby.  Construction is ongoing with expected compltetion in late 2018.