The OneFifteen living facility is a lot like a dorm room. Up to 58 people will eventually occupy double rooms together, share a kitchen and work toward building their future. But at the nearly five-acre Dayton facility, the residents are in recovery.
"Our namesake sort of says at all — 115," says Marti Taylor, president and chief executive officer of OneFifteen.
She says 115 people per day were losing their lives from accidental, unintended overdoses in the country about three years ago. Around the same time, Dayton had one of the highest rates in the country. That nationwide number is now around 180.
"So we have work to do," she says.
The OneFifteen organization is getting help from a Google Alphabet companycalled Verily. It's part of an addiction treatment pilot program that may expand nationwide.
Residents at the facility will receive "wraparound services," meaning they can start rebuilding their lives with opportunities to learn how to cook, attend therapy and workout. The space is complete with shared living areas, kitchens and exercise equipment to make that practical.
They'll also have access to group therapy, employment and resume assistance, and help repairing their relationships with people. Taylor says these kinds of services are essential for people trying to succeed at recovery because everyone starts with a different ability level.
"It's really a time to sort of re-enter back into that recovery journey and moving back into a life that, hopefully, is free from addiction," she said. "Although, we know it's a chronic disease, and that individuals (will be) struggle with it, perhaps, for their lifetime."
The facility was intended to open this past fall, but the pandemic set back plans for the opening. On Thursday, though, two to four people will be the first to move into the building with a staff of about 20 people.
Most guests will likely stay there for around 30 days, but on the long end, some people could stay for 60 or more days. Taylor says there's no cutoff limit, in part, because there's not a lot of data about recovery, its best practices and how that may vary based on demographics.
"We really want to be able to collect information and really learn from the data. We don't know enough in this country yet about addiction, what works, what doesn't work, what does the evidence say?" she said.
The living facility is adjacent to other treatment options, including an outpatient clinic and crisis stabilization unit, which has 32 beds for people detoxing and 12 beds for people experiencing other crises.
In total, OneFifteen has served about 3,100 in about 18 months. Originally, the organization predicted it would serve 1,000 people per year. As the new living facility launches, Taylor says they're prepared to help people on their recovery journey, even if there are more of them than they predicted.
In a particular corner of the building, there's a reflection room with two benches and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a view of a garden with a one-of-a-kind sculpture. On the wall, there are four words with a basket under each: recharge, focus, heal and pause.
Taylor says, "Perhaps they want to reflect and journal in there. And it's something that they think, 'Gosh, I just want to be able to put that in there and know that it's here. And this was a part of who I am and how I am, Now I'm moving forward with my life.' "
To see more photos of OneFifteen's space, click the photo at the top.
