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Powerhouse program outlines housing, reentry and treatment progress to Chase County commissioners
Summary
Melissa, a presenter identified in the transcript, told commissioners the Powerhouse reentry/housing program serves roughly 72 people annually, reports high mental-health and supervision needs among residents, and has added testing tools and a van from the Kansas Fights Addiction grant to help with court attendance.
Melissa (identified in the transcript as Speaker 4) gave an extended update on the Powerhouse reentry and housing program during the Chase County Commissioners meeting on Dec. 9.
Melissa summarized program trends and client needs, saying the "average age was 35" and describing housing status on intake: roughly one-third of clients were unsheltered and another third were precariously housed. She said mental-health issues affect a large share of clients (Melissa cited an approximate 75 percent figure) and that roughly half of clients report no income in the prior 12 months. On criminal-justice supervision, Melissa reported high supervision rates: "71 percent of our residents are on probation," about 59 percent are under corrections supervision and roughly 22 percent are on direct court. She said the men's and women's houses largely operate at or near capacity and maintain wait lists.
Program operations and supports: Melissa described steps the program uses to help participants—goal planning, drug and alcohol testing and life-skills clinics—and said the program had added urine-analysis testing, mouth swabs and a low-cost breathalyzer as tools to monitor relapse. She said the program has increased weekly goal-setting and is tapering to monthly check-ins as participants near exit planning.
Services and partnerships: Melissa highlighted partnerships with community corrections and direct court, saying she attends direct court weekly to coordinate services for program participants. She also noted the program obtained a van through the Kansas Fights Addiction grant to help participants travel to court appearances.
Local ties: Melissa noted several current or past participants identify Chase County as their home county and described ongoing engagement with Lyon County and nearby counties such as Osage and Franklin.
Quotes from the presentation included: "Average age was 35," and "We now have a van," both attributed to Melissa in the transcript. Melissa also gave program totals and trends that she described as changing over time and cautioned that some figures were approximate.
What happens next: Melissa said a grant writer would help with 2025 funding work and commissioners did not take formal action on program funding at this meeting; however, the earlier appropriation routing to Crosswinds (approved in the meeting) may affect regional service providers.
