Last Wednesday, the Helen Ross McNabb Center officially opened what organizers describe as the state’s first all-in-one transition campus in Blount County, a residential recovery and re-entry site in Maryville built to keep people out of jail and plugged into treatment, housing, and jobs. The idea is straightforward but ambitious: put clinical care, housing, transportation, and job training on one property so people walking out of incarceration can get stable faster. The ribbon cutting capped years of planning among county leaders, state officials, and the McNabb Center.
Campus layout and services
The new campus spans five buildings, each with a specific role in the recovery pipeline. One re-entry residential building will house 18 men, a separate residential recovery building will serve 16 clients, and three recovery cottages will round out the site. Services will include medication evaluation and management, individual and group therapy, case management, life-skills programming, and recovery supports, according to The McNabb Center.
Officials on hand
The ceremony drew U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell, and members of the Blount CARES Committee. Mayor Mitchell called the campus the realization of a long-running local vision tied to tackling substance abuse and easing pressure on an overcrowded jail, while Burchett used his remarks to thank McNabb staff for their work, as reported by The Knoxville Focus.
Funding and partnerships
County and state dollars paid for the project. Blount County funding, an Opioid Abatement Community grant and two grants from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) underwrote construction. Blount County records show the McNabb Center was contracted as a provider for Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council funds, and the state’s housing programs tied to the project operate under the Creating Homes Initiative (TDMHSAS Creating Homes Initiative).
Why officials say it matters
Neru Gobin, director of housing and homeless services for TDMHSAS, told the crowd that putting evidence-based housing and clinical care on the same campus helps “cut the cycle” for people coming out of jail. State housing leaders and program materials emphasize housing-first strategies as a way to drive down both homelessness and recidivism, and local coverage noted those points during the ceremony, according to The Knoxville Focus.
Hiring and next steps
The McNabb Center is already hiring residential counselors, nurses and re-entry team leaders to staff the Maryville campus. Job postings describe 24/7 coverage and a program model that links clinical treatment with housing and employment supports. Open positions are listed on McNabb’s careers page, a sign the effort is shifting from construction to day-to-day operations.
County officials say they expect residents to begin moving in within the next few weeks and plan to track results, looking for drops in recidivism and more stable housing outcomes over time.
