WARSAW — Crane your neck from the corner of 301 N. Lake St., in Warsaw, and you can see the entrance of Kosciusko County's Jail to the south.

That alone was a drawing card for LITE Recovery's executive director, Tammy Cotton, when she started dreaming of finding a new satellite office in Warsaw that would be a little more spacious and still just a stone's throw from the Kosciusko County Justice Building.

LITE had had an office for the past year on Center Street in Warsaw that happened to be rent-free, but the space was too small, Cotton said.

As it turns out, Cotton called the owner of the property on Lake Street, who said they did indeed have space available.

Everything fell into place.

“It’s really important to us because a lot of the people we serve are coming out of the county jail, and we wanted an easy access point to come and find us,” Cotton told a crowd of supporters who gathered Thursday for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the Milford-based group's new location.

“Living in Transition Effectively” began five years ago by assisting inmates in Kosciusko County with essential needs for re-entry, such as getting IDs, finding housing — and for many — staying sober.

And while the organization has taken root and expanded since it started some five years ago, Cotton said she thinks the proximity to the jail will help.

Programs inside the jail already assist in helping inmates ensure as good a transition as can be expected. But not everyone heeds the available advice.

“The idea is that there is a warm handoff directly from jail right to LITE. We make sure that we have somewhat of a plan in place, but there are people who fall through the cracks because maybe they didn’t choose to talk to somebody while they were in jail, and they just get out,” Cotton said.

“They are the people we’re really targeting,” she said.

Cotton said they hope to establish regular office hours eventually and that it's big enough to accommodate group meetings in the future.

“We have four of our peer coaches who live in Warsaw, so it's an easy place to land here to meet clients,” she said.

LITE is also working on a new promotional video that will be available on the laptops of Kosciusko County inmates who use the devices for various purposes.

She said it will be available soon and that it will be another good way to promote their services.

She thinks it will help generate more traffic for LITE.

"I mentioned in the video that we have this office right here, accessible to them, so I hope we see an uptick," she said.

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WARSAW — A year ago, the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office hosted a public meeting that highlighted efforts to support inmates through the Kosciusko Community Recovery Program.

More than 100 people attened the meeing and heard fro various county officils at the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw about efforts to support inmates in breaking awag from substance abuse issues and making changes that keep them from re-offendinng.

[caption id="attachment_121576" align="alignright" width="197"] Shanna Wallen[/caption]

Now, as the program begins to settle in, the department plans to provide a new update.

Officials say say the Nov. 10 meeting is an opportunity to recap some of the highlights, educate the community on the goals and look toward some new ideas aimed at supporting inmates toward a life after incarceration.

"We just wannt to kind of update the public and give them a chance to meet some of the participants that have come out of the jail and just share all the good news we had — and  talk about the direction I want to go next year," said Shanna Wallen, resource navigator for the Kosciusko Community Recovery Program, which began nearly two years ago.

Officials are also expected to disccuss the importance of community support for the program.

Statistics will be presented that  underscores some of the success organizers have seen, and they’ll also discuss what went wrong the few inmates who ended up returning to jail.

Wallen said they’ll also talk “about what characteristic and similarities there were in the cases of those who relapsed or reoffended.”

Local service providers will also attend the meeting and offer insights in how they can support inmates and those after being released.

The event on Nov. 10 will start at 6 p.m. at the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion.

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WARSAW — Living in Transition Effectively, better known as LITE, continues to expand across Kosciusko County and the region with services five years after it was established.

The Milford-based group began initially focused solely on assisting inmates as they prepared to re-enter society after being incarcerated.

Initial goals involved helping offenders overcome many of the barrers they face once released. Those can include obtaining personal documents, getting a driver's license, and securing living accommodations and transportation.

These days, about 70 percent of the people they work with are former inmates, while the rest are folks with a variety of needs, said Tammy Cotton, LITE's executive director.

In 2023, LITE became one of ten regional recovery Hubs recognized by the state. LITE also started a women’s recovery residence with five beds and opened a cafe that has created a supportive community environment for those in recovery or struggling with other issues.

LITE offers a range of services (food and clothing, to name a few), and works closely with the sheriff’s office in assisting inmates.

The group is also the biggest distributor of Naloxone (also known as Narcan). In 2024, they distributed 500 doses of Narcan through street outreach programs and a box available at their Milford headquarters.

Earlier this year, Cotton was given approval by the Health First Kosciusko Advisory Committee to begin setting up Narcan distribution boxes throughout the county.

Cotton believes overall efforts to make Narcan readily available are making a difference in reducing overdose deaths, which fell dramatically in 2024.

She recently brought up the issue with the Suicide Overdose Fatality Review Team that she helped establish last year.

"It absolutely has (helped)," Cotton said. "I asked the question to the group, which is law enforcement, the coroner, individuals who are on scene, first responders, and they attribute it completely to the access to the Narcan."

Cotton made the comment for the public affairs show, In The Know, which airs this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations (see broadcast hours at the bottom of this story).

Also part of the show was Rochelle Taylor, who supervises a fleet of peer recovery coaches for LITE.

Taylor is part of a growing trend in which former drug users overcome their addiction and then become certified peer recovery coaches who work to support other substance abusers as they work to get away from the lifestyle.

Taylor doesn’t buy into the argument that people learn to rely on Narcan so they can continue to abuse opioids.

"Nobody uses so they can Narcan themselves. I can tell you that, because they lose their money, they go into withdrawal, they become sick and nobody wants to do that," Taylor said.

Taylor had been addicted to methamphetamine, was arrested several times and served several years in prison.

She's been clean for six years, and her role as a peer recovery coach has been all about turning "pain into purpose," she said.

Taylor also leads LITE's outreach program, in which she and others visit high-risk neighborhoods where drug use tends to be prevalent. They offer various types of support, including Narcan and harm reduction kits.

LITE also has an emphasis on outreach. They are often at Warsaw Community Public Library and the soup kitchen in Warsaw.

Education is also part of their mission.

That was the case on Thursday, when dozens of people participated in a "Re-Entry Similation" program at Cardinal Services and helped put into perspective the number of barriers former inmates face when they re-enter society.

Those barriers often stand in the way of former offenders as they try to find a stable, drug-free life.

The idea came from a KLA project headed up by Taylor.

Participants experienced the process of acclimating themselves after prison by visiting more than a dozen tables that represented the many issues former inmates face after being released.

Cotton explained the purpose of the meeting.

"I think the biggest thing is reducing stigma, bringing awareness, educating the community about the struggles people face," Cotton said. "Recently, I learned there are 97 barriers in the first three months for people coming out of incarceration, and that's what we're trying to portray here today."

LITE also has various transportation services, which were recently expanded.

To learn more, visit the LITE website.

[caption id="attachment_108523" align="alignnone" width="696"] More than 30 people participated in Thursday’s Re-entry Simulation program at Cardinal Services in Warsaw. The meeting was organized by LITE to help people understand the complexities that former inmates face when they re-enter society. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

*  *  * 

In The Know can be heard at the following times:

News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):

Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 a.m. 

Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.

WRSW (107.3):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

Willie (103.5 FM):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

The post As LITE turns 5, group expands efforts to help former inmates, others appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Indiana’s gubernatorial campaign trail passed through Kosciusko County’s jail on Friday as one of six candidates took time to applaud a program designed to assist inmates struggling with chemical addiction.

Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith talks with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch Friday during a tour of the jail. News Now Warsaw Photo by Dan Spalding.

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WARSAW — Jim Smith admits he used to be old school when it came to incarceration, but that was before the Kosciusko County Sheriff embraced a new program and made 300 tablets available to inmates.

The tablets have replaced much of the paperwork involving inmates in the jail as well as the traditional form of visitation, which fell by the wayside when the pandemic struck. 

The tablets have also replaced he traditional form of mail which had been one of the biggest paths into the jail for contraband.

Smith and the jail staff, who oversee about 275 inmates have seen a rapid change since the tablets were distributed three weeks ago.

The devices, to a great degree, are now keeping inmates more occupied.

Jail staff say they noticed a quick improvement in behavior after the arrival.

"Based on my observations and the communications I've had with the jail staff, it's obvious that things have changed back there. It's a lot more quiet," Smith said.

The tablet program is an arrangement through Securus and is being financed without public tax dollars.

The program also offers hundreds of books with a variety of subjects ranging from religion to substance abuse education. Access to some of those features include a fee, he said.

The program also allows all inmates an online visitation once a week with a loved one free off charge — a significant change from the past when inmates had to pay fees.

Additional fees still come with a fee.

Smith said he had not realized the burden indigent inmates had faced previously and sought to make a change with the new arrangement.

He said he's optimistic that the impact will continue.

"The novelty, it may for some, run run out a little bit, but one thing's not going to change — they all like that contact with the outside world, whether it be messaging or visits," Smith said.

Inmates who are expected to bond out quickly and those with behavioral issues are not provided with tablets.

Smith and two of his top lieutenants — Chief Deputy Chris McKeand and Public Information Officer Doug light — discussed the tablet program and other issues as part of this week’s In The Know, the public affairs show which can be heard Friday, Saturday and Sunday on 107.3 as well as Willie 103.6.

Other subjects touched on during the interview included Smith's first year in office and the recent decision to hire four additional dispatchers.

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