A new recovery campus on Indianapolis's north side will offer 19 beds for mothers leaving addiction treatment, allowing them to live with their children instead of separating from them during the hardest stretch of staying sober. Volunteers of America (VOA) Ohio & Indiana cut the ribbon on its Legacy Recovery House campus at 6130 N. Michigan Road, built around three duplexes and one triplex offering 19 beds for women stepping down from residential care.
VOA's Fresh Start Recovery Program, which has 40 residential beds, sits across the parking lot from Legacy Recovery House, and the two programs share a campus, according to WIBC 93.1 FM. Mothers who complete Fresh Start can move directly into Legacy Recovery House and still use the on-site childcare, letting them hold onto both their recovery supports and their kids during the transition to independent living. Jennifer Martinez, senior vice president of clinical services for VOA Ohio & Indiana, described the Michigan Road site as the organization's first true campus model, telling the station that treatment is a point in time and recovery encompasses what follows.
A Property With a History of Keeping Families Together
The 6130 N. Michigan Road address carries its own history of family-centered rehabilitation. The site previously housed Craine House, a nonprofit that offered alternative residential sentencing so non-violent female offenders could live with their young children rather than go to prison, as reported by WFYI. Craine House had the former assisted-living building under contract in 2011 as it sought to grow its capacity from nine women to as many as 40 female offenders and their children, after operating out of a smaller house on Pennsylvania Street since 1978, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Before consolidating everything on Michigan Road, VOA Ohio & Indiana ran standalone certified Legacy Recovery House residences in Plainfield and Columbus, Indiana, WFYI's report notes. The Plainfield location received $1.4 million in grant funding over two years from Indiana University Health's Community Impact Investment Fund to support transitional housing for recovering mothers, per IU Health. The design of the Michigan Road site is trauma-informed, meant to accommodate families and women who are early in recovery while they rebuild work lives and community connections.
One Graduate's Path Through Fresh Start
Ashley Spillman, a Marion, Indiana native, graduated from Fresh Start in December and moved to Indianapolis to begin again after leaving rehabilitation. She told WIBC that Fresh Start staff made her feel reassured, welcomed, and comfortable, and that program staff supported her through every stage and helped her overcome her fears. Spillman reported that her son is now home with her, she is enrolled in college, and her Department of Child Services case is about to close.
Addiction, Custody, and Indiana's Maternal Mortality Crisis
Substance use is the top cause of death among new Indiana mothers, while overdoses contributed to about one-third of deaths during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum, according to Indiana Maternal Mortality Review Committee data cited by Side Effects Public Media. Indiana's overall maternal mortality rate stood at 31.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in the March of Dimes 2025 Report Card, well above the national average of 23.5, as reported by Purdue University's Health and Human Sciences program.
VOA developed the Michigan Road campus in partnership with public agencies including the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, the Indiana Department of Child Services, and the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, the organization said in a statement. The campus gives mothers in recovery a place to live with their children while they complete treatment.
A Residential Program Expands Its Model
Fresh Start is a residential addiction program. Residents at Legacy Recovery House can stay for up to one year, giving families time to re-establish stable routines before moving on.
Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana has served communities for more than 130 years, assisting veterans, homeless individuals and families, people returning from incarceration, and people recovering from substance use disorders. The campus is designed to support women through every stage of recovery, from their first days of treatment to the independent life that follows.
