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A new recovery house for women opened recently that offers transition between in-patient rehab and going back to real world.

Located in Nicholasville, Jersey House opened its doors to patients earlier this month. Operated by Community Recovery Project LLC, a private open house was held Wednesday.

The recovery house offers women leaving in-patient rehabilitation facilities a sober-living environment, said Kymber Arvin, with the Community Recovery Project. Community Recovery Project contracted with Proteo Behavioral Health to provide programs and clinical needs for its residents.

“We aren’t a typical sober-living house. We have a recovery program set up to help these women actually recover, not just get sober,” she said. “They will have IOP (intensive outpatient program), therapy, case management, peer support, recovery coaching, etc. Our clients will work this program while living in the recovery house. They will be finding jobs and working in the community. They will be attending AA/NA and other addiction recovery meetings daily.”

Jersey House has beds for 12 women, Arvin said. There are plans to open a second house in the near future.

According to the Community Recovery Project’s Facebook page, the Jersey House is named after James “Jersey” Jakovenko, of Lexington.
The 42-year-old Lexington resident died Jan. 24, 2021.

“Jersey was a great guy who always had a huge smile and was quick to laugh. Jersey was a big man with an even bigger heart. Sadly he passed away this time last year. He was loved and is missed by many family members and close friends,” a post explained.

“It’s an honor to dedicate our first Recovery House to him. It will serve as a reminder to us as we build the company, exactly why we are doing this. Every life is important. Every person is unique. Everyone has someone who loves them. Everyone has a purpose. I think in some ways, Jersey’s death led many others to find their own purpose.”

While Jessamine County does have some sober living or recovery housing for men, Jersey House will be the first that is exclusively for women, Arvin said.

“We do have a 30-day in-patient rehab facility, Stepworks, here in Nicholasville,” she said. “But women need a sober place to go to continue working on recovery after they leave rehab facilities.”

A women’s only house will allow clients to work on recovery from addiction and feel safe and secure, Arvin said.

“Many addicts have other mental health issues as well,” she said. “Many female addicts have dealt with trauma in so many forms.”

Jersey House currently is taking women leaving in-patient rehabilitation facilities who are 30 or more days sober who need a place to live after leaving rehab.

“We also take women from other sober living homes if they are not working out,” Arvin said. “We take referrals from these facilities and others who are working with women in addiction.”

To get a bed at the recovery house, the prospective client would call directly, or have their case manager or peer support at their current facility contact the Community Recovery Project. They go through an initial assessment and then the staff will decide if the potential client is a good fit for the recovery house.

“We want to ensure we are taking women who are dedicated to work on their recovery, attend meetings and dedicate (themselves) to the program,” Arvin said. “We ask that the women make a 6-8 month commitment. This allows them to complete IOP, be gainfully employed and ready to transition out of recovery housing.”

Arvin said there is a huge need for recovery houses and resources of all kinds in Kentucky to help people address their drug and alcohol addiction.

“We most definitely need recovery housing outside of rehab facilities,” she said. “Thirty-day programs are a great start, but it takes much longer for clients to start actually recovering. Kentucky has a huge shortage of this type of housing. We have an even larger need for resources for women. Our Recovery Houses will all have programming, therapy, and schedules to keep the clients positively occupied working on their personal recovery.”

Community Recovery Project housing follows all Good Neighbor policies, and this type of housing is proven to have a positive impact on the community, Arvin said.

“We have been so pleased at the overall positive community support we have gotten so far,” she said.

For information about Jersey House, call 859-552-0338 or email communityrecoveryproject@gmail.com

News correspondent Nicole Bowman-Layton, who wrote this story for the Jessamine Journal, can be reached at nsbowman@hotmail.com