New drug recovery house for women battling addiction opens in southern Indiana

CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) -- Women struggling with addiction in southern Indiana now have a safe place to stay while they recover.

Medella House, an addiction recovery center and sober living facility, officially opened Saturday in Charlestown, Indiana.

Courtney Tutt, Jennifer Vega, Erica Woodson, and Raymondy Ramothibe founded the facility to help women coming out of rehab. The four friends have been working together for months to make the house feel like a home.

The facility celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 24. Charlestown Mayor Treva Hodges attended the ceremony.

"Charlestown is thrilled to have Medella House as one of our resources here in the community to help people in recovery," Hodges said. "The impact on our community is enormous — immeasurable. We're so proud of everything these women have accomplished, and look forward to great things in the future, helping all our residents thrive."

The nonprofit plans to provide a safe place for women battling drug or alcohol addiction, helping them avoid relapsing by providing a structured environment to continue recovery before going out on their own.

The home can hold up to six women at a time, and will offer counseling and assistance with job placement, education, transportation, and other resources for women in need. The house requires at least 28 days of sobriety prior to living there to prevent people from going through detox in front of other residents.

"This is so needed in this community because we have one of the highest overdose rates in southern Indiana," Tutt said. "So we are here, we're excited, and we're happy to love people back to life."

Tutt says the home will help its clients build personal relationships that will help their recovery experience. The model involves people either working or volunteering, attending an intensive outpatient program, or attending school.

Medella House also hopes to offer a "Mommy and Me" program where children can stay with their mothers as they go through the recovery process.

To donate to the Medella House Support Fund on GoFundMe, click here.