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Hamblen County highlights recovery‑court graduations and expands sober‑living capacity
Summary
Commissioners and recovery‑court staff recognized recent graduates and heard that opioid‑abatement funds will support about 60 sober‑living beds by November as the county’s drug and mental‑health courts continue to enroll participants across four counties.
Hamblen County commissioners opened their meeting by recognizing recent recovery‑court graduates and hearing a progress report on the county’s drug and mental‑health court programs.
Penny Knight, who presented the report, said the county held its sixth recovery‑court graduation and that the program has graduated 39 people since its first ceremony in April 2023. "In November, we will have 60 sober living beds for our people," Knight said, attributing the initial purchases to opioid‑abatement funds and describing a mix of county‑owned and rented houses used to place participants.
Knight gave enrollment and regional‑participation figures: the felony drug court currently has 116 participants, 57 of whom live in Hamblen County; Greene County accounted for about 31 percent of enrollees, Hawkins County 16 percent and Hancock County 4 percent. She also said the mental‑health court has graduated eight participants (two felony, six misdemeanor) and that the program schedules graduations twice a year in April and October.
Knight described program rules and costs to participants: those in the felony program typically participate a minimum of 18 months and pay $50 per month during the program (a probation‑fee waiver is signed by the judge while they are in the program); participants must also pay a $1,000 program fee before graduation. Knight said participants who obtain work pay a $100 weekly residency fee in the sober‑living homes.
Commissioners and other speakers praised the program in public remarks, citing individual success stories including a graduate who served in the military and another who achieved sobriety in his 60s after a lifetime of substance use. Sheriff Mullins and other local officials were named during the presentation as participants in and supporters of the courts’ operations.
The report also described a planned longer‑term funding discussion: Knight said federal grant funding had supported recent expansion and that county contributions from the other counties in the judicial district would be part of long‑range planning if federal funds do not continue.
Commissioners did not take formal action on the recovery‑court report at the meeting; it was presented as an informational item and recognition.
