Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Health and Human Services and its Office of Prevention Science and Recovery, in partnership with Hustle Recovery, have received nearly $8.7 million in grants to help Tennesseans who are dependent on opioids.
The resulting projects are funded under a Grant Contract with the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council to provide respite housing and a vast array of support services for those on the path to recovery from addiction.
“We are so pleased to support Hustle Recovery’s work, which is alignment with the center’s vision for advancing the health and well-being of Tennesseans,” said Cynthia Chafin, Center for Health and Human Services director, who is working closely with Jill Thomas in the Office of Prevention Science and Recovery.
Founded in 2020, Hustle Recovery is a Tennessee-based organization with the mission to provide a safe and sober living community where clients can grow physically, spiritually and emotionally with the support of others.
Grant funding helping those in need
“We are so thankful to MTSU for this partnership as well as to the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council for the funding,” said Troy Sandifer, executive director of Hustle Recovery.
Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council was established into law by the Tennessee General Assembly to decide how to best spend dollars received from lawsuits related to the opioid crisis.
The grants — awarded to every state — were made in the areas of treatment, recovery support, primary prevention, education and training, harm reduction, and research and evaluation.
“The respite housing project is the first of its kind in this area that we are aware of,” Sandifer said. “Hustle Recovery saw a need and through a pilot project funded by the Rutherford County Opioid Board, we were able to demonstrate impact which led us to this larger partnership with MTSU and the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.”
Approximately 94% of the grant monies will go to support Hustle Recovery’s expansion of short-term housing for those who need opioid addiction treatment and are waiting for facility beds to open, along with infrastructure support to expand the organization’s other services such as residential aftercare and transportation support.
New respite housing facilities will be opened in each of Tennessee’s grand divisions — West, Middle and East. This project addresses that gap by providing clean, trigger-free, short-term housing for individuals in transition. Respite housing offers a stable space where participants can begin engaging in recovery-oriented routines and maintain their commitment to treatment while they await placement in a formal program.
Services ‘bridging the gap’
By bridging the gap between the decision to seek treatment and actual program entry, this initiative helps save lives, sustain momentum, and foster long-term recovery success, Sandifer said.
In addition to housing, services will be expanded for residential aftercare and transportation support, transitional/supportive housing, financial assistance for continuing medical treatment, counseling, support group connections, job training access and other wrap-around services.
“Along the way, I started to see the cracks in the system,” Sandifer explained. “People would finish treatment and have nowhere to go. Others would get out of jail and relapse because they couldn’t find work. Some needed stabilization before they were even ready for rehab.”
While Hustle Recovery will provide direct services, CHHS will have a dedicated staff to coordinate all parts of the grants — including the Hustle Recovery community partnership.
“Having MTSU CHHS as a partner means we at Hustle Recovery are able to focus on direct care knowing that MTSU will be there to handle the many requirements that come with grant funding and to provide expertise in the areas of evaluation, program management, and some great research opportunities as well,” Sandifer said.
In addition to new projects, the funding will help Hustle Recovery maintain its continuum of care that is already in place as the programming continues to evolve and grow.
“This work will change and maybe even save lives through these services which are crucial to long-term recovery success,” Chafin said.
For more information, contact Chafin at Cynthia.Chafin@mtsu.edu or visit the center’s website at https://chhs.mtsu.edu and https://chhs.mtsu.edu/opsr/.
For more information on Hustle Recovery visit https://www.hustlerecovery.org/ or the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council at https://www.tn.gov/oac.html.
Nancy DeGennaro