By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — A new meeting space designed for youths ages 13 to 17 has opened in Milford.
A grand opening was held Monday afternoon for the RISE Teen Space, operated by LITE Recovery Hub on West Catherine Street in a building owned by the Milford Public Library that had previously been used by the area Housing Authority.
RISE is an acronym for the characteristics that organizers hope to instill in visitors — resilience, inspiration, support and empowerment.
The new program is another effort by LITE supporters to provide support to young people in hopes of providing direction in their developmental years so they can avoid circumstances that lead to substance abuse and crime later in life.
A teen support group was established in 2023 in Milford and another similar group now operates in a church on Center Street in Warsaw.
Crystal Lewallen is the program director and got involved after she and one of her children attended the Milford support group.
Lewallen works with LITE as a peer recovery coach.
“I met with Tammy that day and started volunteering, and then became part-time and then full-time,” Lewallen said.
“I’m that mom who has to be involved in everything my kids do,” she added.
The building at 109 W. Catherne St. includes two sizeable rooms and is outfitted with games and comfortable furniture.
Words of encouragement can be seen in nearly every direction, even on the ceiling.
The new program will start with meetings on Monday and Thursday nights. A support group meets on Sundays.
Lewallen said participants will be expected to show up sober and “give back” by supporting the program in little ways, such as cleaning up after meals.
Keeping an eye on sobriety, she said, is just a reality that comes with the territory.
Organizers view the new program as a safe space.
“We really want it, too, to be a place where they can be heard,” Cotton said. “I think a lot of kids just kind of feel like they are tossed to the wayside or that nobody’s going to understand what they’re going through.”
Cotton said LITE is using guidance outlined by the Recovery Cafe in Seattle to help structure programming.
