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Empowerhouse reports rising age and mental‑health needs among residents, cites growing referrals from Osage County
Summary
Empowerhouse, a recovery‑residence operator serving Lyon and surrounding counties, told the Osage County Commission that the program is seeing an older average age among residents, a higher share with mental‑health diagnoses and increased referrals from Osage County jails.
Melissa Lopez, an Empowerhouse representative, told the Osage County Commission on Dec. 16 that the nonprofit operates two recovery houses that provide housing and wraparound services to people in early recovery and that recent trends show shifting needs among residents.
“Our average age in the past has been 35. I think that's gonna be probably 44 for this year,” Lopez said, adding that mental‑health diagnoses among residents are rising: “In the past, it's been about 75 percent have a mental health condition. I think that number is gonna go up right now. It's looking like it's gonna be 84 percent.”
Lopez said Empowerhouse’s women’s and men’s houses typically serve about 24 people per house annually and that year‑to‑date numbers include 76 women and 35 men who received housing or services, plus about 25 others who attended clinics. She described the program’s approach as “holistic,” covering employment, identification, treatment referrals and peer‑support activities, and said the group has increased drug testing and goal‑planning meetings.
Lopez also told commissioners that referrals from Osage and Franklin counties have recently increased and that she has seen more residents arrive via furlough from county jails. “In fact, the female that we are—she's got the next available spot. She's coming out of Osage County, and just finished off rehab,” Lopez said, describing one recent referral.
Commissioners asked no substantive policy questions during the update; Lopez said she would return in mid‑2025 with another progress report.
The presentation noted Empowerhouse’s existing service area is Lyon County and surrounding counties and that the organization expects to hire grant‑funded administrative help and a grant writer in 2025 to expand programming and reporting capacity.
