Wabash seeks $750,000 CDBG grant to build 17-unit recovery housing with Waypoint subrecipient

Wabash City on Monday approved a resolution authorizing submission of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application to fund construction of a three-story recovery housing facility, the city’s Region 3A grant administrator said.

Sandra, identified in the hearing as executive director and grant administrator with Region 3A, told the council that Wabash City will be the applicant and Waypoint Wabash the subrecipient for a project seeking $750,000 in CDBG funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The proposal, she said, requests $750,000 in CDBG with an estimated $382,500 directed to activities benefiting low- and moderate-income persons and an additional $50,000 in non-CDBG local match (about $10,000 from seed funds and $40,000 from an opioid fund).

The proposed building was described as three stories with 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms and roughly 331 square feet per studio unit; Sandra said the project aims to expand recovery-home services and meet local health and wellness needs, and that construction or occupancy is targeted on or about Feb. 22, 2026. She reviewed scoring rules for the state RHP grant: 700 points total, a 450-point minimum to be eligible, a community distress score listed at 80.47 for Wabash, and program-specific points for beds serving pregnant women, justice-involved individuals and veterans as well as sustainability criteria including use of opioid settlement funds as match. Sandra also noted bonus points are available for written policies that support medication-assisted treatment.

During the hearing, Jackie Hollister, executive director at Waypoint, urged support for the application, saying Waypoint currently houses 12 women, has produced 17 graduates and maintains a waiting list of more than 17. "A lot of our women come from Wabash County," Hollister said, describing Waypoint’s nine-month program with intensive outpatient therapy, meetings and employment supports. A program participant who identified herself as a health manager and as a program graduate-in-training described the program as life-changing: "It changed my life … I'm sober and doing so amazing," she said.

Sandra invited letters of support for the application and asked that they be submitted by Feb. 16, 2026 to be included in the final application; she also noted proposals were due Dec. 19, 2025 and that award notices would be expected in spring 2026. The council approved Resolution 19205, authorizing the application submission and local match commitment, following a motion, a second and a roll call vote in favor.

The hearing record shows the city sought to demonstrate eligibility under the low-to-moderate-income limited clientele national objective and to maximize program-specific points related to beds for priority populations. The council took no immediate additional conditions beyond the resolution; the project’s award remains contingent on the competitive state review and possible state or federal approvals.